Please find below the latest Government announcement, Network North and the details:
NETWORK NORTH
OUR NEW PLAN TO DELIVER BETTER TRANSPORT FOR ALL
ā¢ If we want to change the country and build a better future for our children, that means we must
change the way we do politics: changing our approach to future transport infrastructure.
ā¢ For too long, we have been getting transport infrastructure wrong. Our great towns, cities and rural
areas are not achieving their true potential. Our new vision for transport will focus on the forms of
transport that matter most to people, that best drive growth and jobs, and truly levels up our country.
ā¢ HS2 has become a significant part of the problem: costs have more than doubled, it has been
repeatedly delayed, the pandemic has completely changed travel patterns, the economic case is far
weaker, and it continues to crowd out transport spending that would benefit the rest of the country.
ā¢ In short, the facts have changed ā and we need to change our approach if we are to change the country.
ā¢ That is why today we are announcing that we will deliver HS2 between Birmingham and Euston in
central London as planned ā but we will take every pound that would have been spent extending HS2
beyond and instead invest Ā£36 billion in transport improvements that will benefit far more people, in
far more places, far more quickly ā we are building NETWORK NORTH.
ā¢ Rather than just connecting Birmingham and Manchester, we will set aside Ā£12 billion for links
between Liverpool-Manchester to ensure the delivery of NPR and then invest Ā£36 billion in hundreds
of projects in towns, cities and rural areas across our whole country, and in roads, rail, and buses ā
investment on a truly unprecedented scale that will drive economic growth and provide jobs:
o Ā£TU.V billion for the North by connecting its major cities, new station at Bradford, new tram for Leeds,
new major roads, reopened train lines, all on top of the Ā£TW billion set aside for Manchester-Liverpool
o Ā£U.X billion for the Midlands through a Midlands Rail Hub connecting ?@ stations, major road
upgrades, guaranteed funding for the new East Mids Mayor, and reopened train lines and new stations
o Ā£X.Y billion for the rest of the country through rail improvements in the South West, keeping the Ā£F
bus fare until end December F@FH, unblocking road schemes, Ely Junction, and billions for potholes
o Greater connectivity for both Scotland and Wales, through improvements to the AK? between Gretna
and Stranraer, and Ā£M billion to fund the electrification of the North Wales Main Line
ā¢ This change is transformative: every region of our country will have more transport investment from
Network North as a result of this decision ā every penny committed to the Northern leg will go to the
North, every penny committed to the Midlands leg to the Midlands, and every penny saved from our
new arrangement for Euston station will be spread across every other region in the country.
We need to change our approach to transport infrastructure in this country ā HS2 will not solve the
challenges this country faces in terms of needing better connectivity within cities, improved links between
cities, and local priorities such as better roads and more buses. As the Centre for Cities has said: āHS2
doesnāt do a great deal to tackle the underlying economic challenges that many northern cities faceā.
ā¢ This country needs better connectivity WITHIN our towns, suburbs and cities. Only 38 per cent of
people in Leeds can reach the city centre in 30 minutes ā compared to almost 90 per cent in similar-sized
Marseille. More than 4 million people across the North cannot reach their city centre in 30 minutes by public
transport. And people in London are able to access twice as many jobs within 60 minutes on public transport
than people in Newcastle, the West Midlands and Manchester. This is simply unacceptable. The National
Infrastructure Commissionās āstrong view is that if we want to improve the performance of our cities, then
transport policy should prioritise intra-city improvements to enable greater capacity and commuting flowsā.
ā¢ We also need improved links BETWEEN our towns and cities. The huge potential of the North is being
wasted. As many commentators have pointed out, a major reason for this is poor East-West connectivity
across the North. This cannot continue ā we need to prioritise cutting journey times and increasing capacity
and frequency between Hull, York, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.
ā¢ And we need to improve everyday LOCAL journeys for people, such as more buses and better roads.
The most popular form of public transport are buses ā which account for the majority of all journeys, and
are most used by people on lower incomes. Government investment in buses provides significant economic
return, yet we spend just a third of the amount per mile on buses as we do on trains. Investment in local
roads generates an even higher economic return, reducing congestion pinch points and filling potholes ā but
we invest more per year in HS2 than we spend on the entire strategic road network.
HS2 is a significant part of this problem ā depriving the North and the Midlands of its true potential
ā¢ Costs have more than doubled. Phase 1 from London to Birmingham was meant to cost Ā£20 billion when
it was approved in 2012 ā but latest estimates are up to Ā£45 billion and likely to be even higher. That is
more than the entire original HS2 project estimate. Cost estimates of the whole project have now soared
to nearly Ā£100 billion in 2023 prices, compared to Ā£40 billion when approved ā thatās a 75 per cent increase
in real terms over the past decade. It now costs nearly ten times the amount as equivalent schemes in France,
and seven times those in Germany.
ā¢ It has been repeatedly delayed. When it was approved in 2012, HS2 was meant to be operational a few
years from now ā by 2026 ā and completed in full by 2033. Now, the line to Manchester is forecast to be
open is in 2041 ā that is in 18 yearsā time. It was even delayed by seven years before construction even
begun. These delays have led the independent Infrastructure Projects Authority to rate the project as
āunachievableā.
ā¢ Covid has completely changed travel patterns ā changing key assumptions underpinning HS2. Whilst
road travel has already recovered to pre-pandemic levels, rail journeys are still down by more than 20 per
cent. And while 53 per cent of the benefits of HS2 were intended to come from business travel, overall
business rail travel is currently less than half of 2019 levels.
ā¢ The cost benefit case has dwindled. Originally, HS2 was slated to return Ā£2.30 in economic value for every
Ā£1 we invested. Now, we are actually forecast to get less value out of it than we put in: the benefits could
fall to 80 pence for every Ā£1 invested by the taxpayer overall. Furthermore, the governmentās own business
case showed that almost half of individual benefits went to London and the South East. To put that in context,
a Department for Transport analysis of major bus routes found an average return of Ā£4.20 for every Ā£1
invested. Put simply, HS2 is not good value for money for the taxpayer.
ā¢ It continues to crowd out transport spending that would benefit the rest of the country. HS2 accounts
for over one-third of all our transport investments ā while rail accounts for just 8 per cent of distances
travelled and 2 per cent of journeys. Our annual spend on HS2 is double what we spend on local transport
and five times what we spend on road maintenance. And when HS2 over-runs, all other areas of transporting
spending across the whole country ā from buses to potholes ā are impacted.
ā¢ Private sector investment never materialised. The original plan envisaged private businesses investing
alongside the taxpayer to help complete the project and earn a fair return. Not a single private investor has
believed it makes sense to invest in the project.
In short, the facts have changed ā and we need to change our approach if we are to change the country
We will still deliver Phase 1 of HS2 ā with a transformed Euston quarter, unlocking thousands of homes
ā¢ HS2 will be completed between Birmingham and London. Significant work on Phase 1 has already begun
so we will complete the Phase 1 line running from London Euston to central Birmingham and to Handsacre,
near Lichfield. This means passengers will be able to travel on HS2 trains through to Manchester, Liverpool
and Scotland, joining the West Coast Main Line for the rest of the journey. This will cut the journey times
from Birmingham to central London from around 80 minutes currently to 49. This will add extra capacity
to the West Coast Main Line, freeing up freight lines and allowing 250,000 passengers to travel every day
ā enough to accommodate triple the current level of demand and supporting growth for decades to come.
And this will remove bottlenecks into and out of London, benefitting places like Northampton, Milton
Keynes and Watford. Journey times from Manchester to Euston will be cut by almost 30 minutes, taking it
from 2 hours 7 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes.
o High Speed Rail: Investing in Britainās Future (Jan 2012): āEven as a stand-alone project, there is
a strong case for proceeding with this initial line, as it provides the most effective solution to long-term
capacity constraints on the congested southern end of the WCML, and offers benefits in excess of costsā.
o HS2 Strategic Case (October 2013): āThe construction of the new high-speed line between London
and Birmingham will allow the potential for improved services on todayās West Coast Main Line; not
only on the new high-speed line, but also on the classic rail network. Phase 1 will bring substantial
benefits in its own right, providing additional capacity and improved connectivityā.
ā¢ We will deliver a world-class station at London Euston. As we have always planned, the Phase 1 line
will finish its journey at Euston station. But we need a new approach to Euston in order to unlock growth
potential for London while also ensuring fairness to the taxpayer. The fact we are not doing Phase 2 also
means that we can take this opportunity to reshape our plans. But this requires doing things differently. We
will therefore change the leadership of the project and bring in private investment to build a new station
that will accommodate trains to Birmingham and beyond. This will release Ā£6.5 billion to invest in projects
that people and communities really need, including thousands of new homes and see London pay for
the station it wants. The approach will be modelled on the success of Battersea Power Station and Nine
Elms, where the government secured Ā£9 billion investment and delivered 1,800 homes.
ā¢ London will get a transformed Euston Quarter, unlocking thousands of homes. Londonās biggest
challenge is housing and our plan will help address Sadiq Khanās failure. Margaret Thatcher created a
Development Corporation to regenerate the London Docklands and Liverpool Docks: we will do the same
here. This Development Corporation at Euston will be able to cut through red tape and have special powers
to develop up to 10,000 homes. The nearby successful regeneration of Kings Cross gives a sense of what is
achievable, and this new Euston Quarter has the potential for five times as many homes as that.
ā¢ Communities on the proposed route for HS2 will benefit. We will immediately stop forced purchases of
land along the route, and we will be formally lifting the safeguarding requirements on properties along the
route as soon as practical. HS2 Phase 2 would have delivered fewer and slower services from London to at
least 20 destinations on the existing main lines ā including Stockport, Wilmslow, Penrith and Oxenholme.
Blackpool would have lost its through trains to London. Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester and
Loughborough would have all seen at least some slower services to London had HS2 East opened.
We will invest Ā£36 billion in NETWORK NORTH ā hundreds of transport projects for the whole country
ā¢ We will invest Ā£36 billion in transport projects for towns, cities and rural areas across the whole
country ā not just Manchester and Birmingham. Every penny committed to the Northern leg of HS2 will
be reinvested in the North. Every penny committed to the Midlands leg will be reinvested in the Midlands.
And every penny saved from our new arrangement for Euston will go to the rest of the country. Connectivity
to Scotland and Wales will improve too. Every region will have more transport investment:
o Connecting the major cities of the North with more frequent trains, more capacity and faster journeys
o Ā£12 billion to radically improve connections between Manchester and Liverpool
o Ā£2 billion new station and railway improvements in Bradford, and a 30 min journey to Manchester
o Ā£2.5 billion for a new West Yorkshire mass transit system, improving connections around Leeds
o Additional investment for transport for city regions, including Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester
o Brand new deals for smaller cities with Ā£4.7 billion funding ā areas like Blackpool and Harrogate
o Strategic road projects such as the M6 Junction 15 between Manchester and Birmingham, and the A1
o Dozens of local road schemes like the Shipley Bypass and Blyth Relief Road
o Reopening Beeching lines to reconnect areas like County Durham, Burton, Stocksbridge, Waverley
o Fully funding the Midlands Rail Hub with Ā£1.75 billion, connecting 50 stations in the Midlands
o Upgrading links between Newark and Nottingham, halving journey times between Notts and Leeds
o Delivering 70 road schemes ā 21 in the North, 10 in the Midlands, 39 in the South
o Investment in road pinch points, such as the A5 between Hinckley and Tamworth
o Supporting the incoming East Mids Mayor with a new transport devolution settlement of Ā£1.5 billion
o West Midlands Combined Authority will receive over a Ā£1 billion more for local transport funding
o Extending the national Ā£2 bus fare through to end of December 2024
o Funding for hundreds of new local bus routes in each of the Midlands and the North
o Record investment to fix the blight of potholes on roads up and down the country
o Electrifying the North Wales Main Line to better connect Wales with London and the North West
o Upgrading the A75 to improve links between Scotland and the main port to Northern Ireland
NETWORK NORTH
OUR COMMITMENT TO THE NORTH
ā¢ Ā£3 billion to connect the major cities of the North:
o First, we will bring Hull into Northern Powerhouse Rail, electrifying and improving the line speed
between Hull to Leeds and Hull to Sheffield. This will cut the journey between Leeds and Hull from
58 to 48 minutes; from Hull to Manchester from 107 to 84 minutes. This will enable 2 fast trains per
hour, double trains between Hull and Sheffield from 1 to 2 per hour, and also double capacity.
o Second, we will upgrade and electrify the line between Sheffield and Leeds. There is currently 1 fast
train per hour taking 40 minutes; we will deliver 3-4 trains per hour and look to include a new mainline
station at Rotherham, which would receive direct London services for the first time since the 1980s.
Capacity will increase by 300 per cent.
o Third, we will upgrade and electrify the Hope Valley line from Sheffield to Manchester. This will
cut the journey time from 51 to 42 minutes, allowing us to increase fast trains from 2 to 3 trains per
hour. Capacity will double.
ā¢ Ā£12 billion to better connect Manchester to nearby Liverpool. This would allow the delivery of Northern
Powerhouse Rail as previously planned, including high-speed lines. But we will work with local leaders to
agree whether they wish to suggest other ways to achieve the objectives within the Ā£12 billion envelope.
ā¢ Ā£2 billion for a brand new rail station and better connections for Bradford. We are delivering a new
major station in Bradford, unlocking regeneration in the UKās seventh-largest city. Building a new line to
Manchester via Huddersfield, almost halving the journey time, with double the frequency of today and up
to an extra 1,000 seats per hour. A journey from Bradford to York goes from 49 minutes today to 33 minutes.
ā¢ A fully-funded Ā£2.5 billion West Yorkshire mass transit system. We will deliver the long-promised mass
transit network for West Yorkshire, ensuring Leeds will no longer be the largest city in Europe without light
rail or a metro. It will create a transformative network of up to 7 lines, eventually connecting Leeds with
nearby Huddersfield, Wakefield, Bradford and Halifax. We will ensure it comes into operation long before
HS2 would have reached the city, and help reduce congestion at Leeds station.
ā¢ New strategic roads across the North. We will provide funding for 3 major road schemes around
Manchester, including improving the M6 south of Manchester to Birmingham, and the Manchester North
West Quadrant, providing transport capacity to allow the Port of Salford to proceed. We will also provide
funding to dual a section of the A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham.
ā¢ Reconnecting communities by reopening closed Beeching lines. We will restore the Don Valley Line
between Sheffield and Stocksbridge, as well as building new stations at Haxby on the York to Scarborough
line; Waverley on the Sheffield to Gainsborough line; and Ferryhill in County Durham. We will also upgrade
the Energy Coast Line between Carlisle, Workington and Barrow ā improving capacity and journey times.
ā¢ Boosting funding for city regions. All six northern city regions will receive 75 per cent more funding than
currently to improve connectivity in their areas. This will benefit the millions who live in towns and suburbs
around Newcastle, Doncaster/Sheffield, Leeds, Teesside, Liverpool and Manchester, and could pay for
schemes such as extending the Manchester Metrolink to Heywood, Bolton, Wigan and Manchester Airport;
local roads in the Tees Valley; Sheffield tram extensions; and bus rapid transit corridors in Manchester,
Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield.
ā¢ New money everywhere outside the big city regions. We are creating a brand new Ā£2.5 billion fund to
transform local transport in 14 rural counties, smaller cities and towns in every part of the North outside the
big city regions: everywhere from Cumbria to North Yorkshire, Cheshire to Lincolnshire, and Hull to
Lancashire. Projects could include more trams for Blackpool, more electric buses in Harrogate, and better
bus-rail interchange in Scarborough.
ā¢ Funding for smaller road schemes across the North. We are providing Ā£460 million to ensure the delivery
of 20 road schemes, including the A582 South Ribble Distributor; Kendal Northern Access Route; Wigan
East-West Route; Shipley Eastern Bypass; and the Blyth Relief Road. We are also launching a Ā£1 billion
roads fund in the North to fund new schemes such as the A1-A19 Hickleton bypass.
ā¢ More buses and more frequent routes. We will provide over Ā£700 million for bus service improvement
plans in the North ā this could involve projects like new bus services to Royal Blackburn Hospital; doubling
the service between Northwich and Chester; and more buses to industrial estates and business parks.
ā¢ Potholes funding. We are committing an additional Ā£3.3 billion to resurface roads in the North.
NETWORK NORTH
OUR COMMITMENT TO THE MIDLANDS
ā¢ Delivering the Midlands Rail Hub in full. We will increase funding to Ā£1.75 billion to improve journey
times, capacity and frequency of services across the East and West Midlands. The full Midlands Rail Hub
will benefit more than 50 stations with a catchment of over 7 million people ā including Nottingham,
Leicester, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Worcester, Malvern, Hereford, Gloucester and Cheltenham. It will double
capacity between Leicester and Birmingham from 2 to 4 trains per hour, increasing trains between
Birmingham and Bristol from 2 to 3 per hour, and doubling trains to Bromsgrove to six per hour.
ā¢ Strategic road upgrades. We are committing to fix two major pinch points on the A5 between Hinckley
and Tamworth, a road serving over 1 million people. We are also providing funding for improvements to
the A50/500 corridor between Stoke and Derby, reducing congestion for the 90,000 drivers and ensuring
smoother journeys for drivers and freight around Magna Park, Rolls Royce, Toyota and local employers.
ā¢ Reconnecting communities by reopening closed Beeching lines. We will reopen the Ivanhoe Line
between Leicester and Burton, connecting nearly 2 million people across South Derbyshire and Northwest
Leicestershire. We will also reopen the Oswestry-Gobowen line, with a new stop at Park Hall; build a new
station in Meir on the existing Crewe-Derby line; and reopen the disused Barrow Hill and Stoke-Leek lines.
ā¢ Funding for smaller road schemes across the Midlands. We are providing over Ā£250 million to ensure
the delivery of 10 road schemes, including the Shrewsbury North Western Relief Road; A4123 Birchley
Island; A509 Isham Bypass; and the A43 Northampton-Kettering. We are also launching a Ā£640 million
Midlands Road Fund for new roads.
ā¢ Guaranteeing Ā£1.5 billion funding for the new East Midlands City Region. We will empower a newly
elected Metro Mayor to create London-style public transport networks in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
This will be used to make life better for the 2.2 million people in the region, and could be used to extend the
Nottingham Tram system to serve Gedling and Clifton South; to connect Derby with East Midlands Parkway
with a Bus Rapid Transit System; and to reopen the Maid Marion Line to passenger rail services.
ā¢ City-style funding for 13 councils in the Midlands. For the first time, we will deliver long-term
settlements for councils from Lincolnshire to Rutland, Herefordshire to Telford and Wrekin, and West
Northamptonshire to Stoke-on-Trent. This Ā£2.2 billion investment will transform transport by funding
schemes such as the refurbishment of stations in Longport and Kidsgrove, supporting smaller, more demanddriven buses in rural areas and funding investments into greener bus fleets.
ā¢ Increased funding for buses in the Midlands. Nearly Ā£230 million investment will improve the frequency
and services in the Midlands, and could see new bus stops around Telford, park and ride upgrades in
Shropshire, and bus lanes in Herefordshire.
ā¢ Upgrading links between Newark and Nottingham. We will extend the existing London-LeicesterNottingham trains to Yorkshire and the North East, cut direct journey times from Nottingham to Leeds by
around an hour and enable the quadrupling of direct seats from Nottingham to Leeds. Alongside this, the
investment will enable up to 600 seats each hour between Leicester and Nottingham.
ā¢ West Midlands Combined Authority will receive over Ā£1 billion more for local transport funding. This
includes Ā£100 million to deal with ongoing metro and Arden Cross cost pressures, Ā£250 million to accelerate
local transport projects over the next five years. In addition, a further over Ā£700 million uplift to their
transport settlement allocation will more than double their sustainable city region transport settlement.
ā¢ Potholes. We are committing an extra Ā£2.2 billion to alleviate the scourge of potholes in the Midlands.
NETWORK NORTH
OUR COMMITMENT TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY
ā¢ Keeping the Ā£2 bus fare. The national Ā£2 bus fare was due to expire at the end of October but we are
continuing with it until the end of 2024. Buses are our most used and loved form of public transport: to keep
costs down for families, we will extend the Ā£2 bus fare this year to help bus users for over another year.
ā¢ Improving the accessibility of our train stations. We are spending Ā£350 million to improve up to 100
stations that are not at all accessible for all passengers. Stations will be able to benefit from refitted lifts,
tactile surfaces, ramps and footbridges, new ticket gates and accessible waiting rooms and toilets.
ā¢ Rail improvements in the South West. We will reopen and reintroduce rail passenger services to
Wellington and Cullompton, reinstate five miles of track and a new station at Tavistock to connect it with
Plymouth, and put aside funding to make the Exeter to Plymouth line through Dawlish more resilient in the
face of extreme weather. We will also boost the West of England Combined Authority by Ā£100 million to
support their plans to develop a new mass transit system to revolutionise travel in and around Bristol.
ā¢ Ensure the delivery of national road schemes. We will solve the perennial bottleneck on the corridor to
Dover by fixing the Brenley Corner on the A2. We are providing Ā£610 million for the delivery of 39 schemes
in the East of England, South West and South East, including the A38 in Somerset, the A259 Bognor Regis
to Southampton and the A10 between Ely and Cambridge. And we will launch a further Ā£1 billion fund for
new road schemes in these regions.
ā¢ Ely Junction. This transformative scheme will see an extra six freight trains per day to and from the Port
of Felixstowe ā the equivalent of taking 98,000 lorry journeys off the road every year, including across the
Midlands and the North. This will also see a doubling of passenger services on the Ely-Kingās Lynn and
Ipswich-Peterborough routes, helping commuters and leisure travellers alike.
ā¢ Potholes. We will spend an additional Ā£2.8 billion resurfacing roads in the East, South West and South East.
ā¢ Delivering a new Euston Quarter. We will transform Euston in the heart of our capital by cutting through
red tape to develop up to 10,000 homes ā a site with the potential for six times as many as the nearby success
story in Kings Cross. This directly addresses Londonās biggest challenge.
NETWORK NORTH
OUR COMMITMENT TO THE UNION
ā¢ Improving journeys on the A75 between Gretna and Stranraer. Following recommendations in the
Union Connectivity Review, we will alleviate pinchpoints on the road, providing better links between the
Cairnryan ferry terminals serving Northern Ireland and southwest Scotland, connecting with the M6 and
Cumbria, and the A77 towards Glasgow.
ā¢ Funding the electrification of the North Wales Main Line. Ā£1 billion investment will bring parts of North
Wales within an hour of Manchester. We will oversee more punctual, reliable journeys on the 126-mile
route between Crewe, Warrington, Chester, Llandudno and Holyhead, where ferry services run to Dublin.
LABOUR have no idea where they stand on HS2 ā and no idea how they would improve transport in the UK
ā¢ Labour have flip-flopped on HS2 in recent weeks as they search for a position that suits them
politically ā they just donāt know where they stand on it. Firstly Nick Thomas-Symonds said Labour
would build HS2 in full, including the eastern leg to Leeds; then shadow HMT minister Tulip Siddiq
admitted that she didnāt know what Labourās position was; and finally Pat McFadden refused to commit to
even building the original HS2.
ā¢ Keir Starmer said he opposed HS2 on ācost and meritā. STARMER: āI oppose HS2 on cost and on merit.
It will not achieve its stated objectivesā (Hansard, 15 September 2015, Col 1006, link).
ā¢ Keir Starmer said the āonly sensible plan is to abandon the plan altogetherā. STARMER: āWe have had
plans, amended plans and further amended plans for Euston, but the only sensible plan is to abandon the
project altogetherā (Hansard,15 September 2015, Col 1006, link).
October 5, 2023
All this makes sense and I definitely agree .
October 6, 2023
Is this the same Birmingham destination where the council gone bust and not fit for purpose and itās overpaid leader in New York on a jolly while his council sank? Glad the Tory comm7nity secretary and enforced Tory mayor had their finger on the pulse! Not
October 6, 2023
Andrew Adonis Labour MP minster and staunch EU nutty supporter. Was sought after by Cameron and Osborne for transport infrastructure projects. Why have you not mentioned this JR? Cameron and Osborne wanted Labour ministers in key roles, Milburn social mobility etc etc. they did not want former conservative ministers but former Labour ones. Why?
Did he play a key role for this project to go ahead?
October 5, 2023
Never happen.
October 5, 2023
please don’t t give Birmingham city council any money they will waste it
October 5, 2023
is straight out of the WEF guidebook, or as they keep saying:
To build back implies that there must be destruction of the existing – which clearly is a big part of the depopulation agenda.
As for cancelling the HS2 link and channelling money to improve Northern rails links – something talked about in this Diary, and some common sense from HMG at last.
October 5, 2023
I wonder if the Ā£X to be spent on rail improvements in the South West will include providing a second rail-line on the Waterloo to Exeter St David’s line? At the moment, when you get past Salisbury you can sit for anything up to 20 minutes waiting for a train heading towards London to clear the single track (in several places) before you can proceed.
I’ve been banging on about this on these comment pages (and plenty of others) after moving to the west country 6 or so years ago. It would be nice to think someone was paying attention š
October 5, 2023
I have been listening, fat chance you’ve got of any action to do it though!
October 5, 2023
BS to offset the scandal of HS2 and con people that there is a better alternative. If that was true why didnāt they do it in the first place?
Trying to make political capital out of a sh*t show.
I donāt believe a word. Treble the cost, treble delivery dates at a minimum. Planning, bureaucracy, politicians, civil servants.
What chance has it got.
October 5, 2023
So all your hammering on has at last born some fruit.
Letās hope we get the same on tax!
October 5, 2023
Still into young people in the US and other countries.
October 5, 2023
For the Ā£100 billion+ they will end up wasting on HS2 they could have build about 700,000 extra homes for people but clearly getting to Birmingham faster (more slowly door to door though) than the existing trains from Euston and Marylebone was considered far more important than housing say 2.1 million people.
October 5, 2023
Which āpeopleā? I donāt want to build āhomes for peopleā. I want to send them back – even Biden is now committed to building Trumps wall – itās existential – they must ALL be sent back.
October 5, 2023
Who wrote this? Not Grant Shapps by any chance? Or Hans Christian Andersen?
The original business case for HS2 was nonsense. It was to help businessmen travel to and from London, Birmingham and Manchester more quickly. And this, somehow, was judged to provide an economic benefit of Ā£2.30 for every Ā£1 spent. Even in 2012 we had tele-conferencing and, er, the internet. As for public use, few would have been able to afford the tickets. So, at last, better late than never, it is being abandoned. Hurrah. The Birmingham to London bit will be the biggest white elephant yet.
Apart from costs, one of the reasons given for the cancellation is the change of work caused by the Covid lockdowns. Hmm, I have worked from home, in IT, since 1990. So have lots of other people. It’s only the public sector that have now decided that working from home is a laugh – i.e. that they don’t have to work, whereas private sector people working from home still have to produce results. However, I digress. On the one had we are saying ‘cancel the rest of HS2 because the commuting demand has changed’ and ‘build railways between Hull, Bradford, York, Manchester, Liverpool etc. because of the need for commuting to, somehow, make this cities more ‘profitable’.
Nobody wants to travel 30, 40 or 50 miles to work. What about the environment? Surely improving transport in and around cities is much more important than linking them up. To be fair, this is mentioned but I’d rather see the money spent on that – and attracting business to places like Hull – in the first place. Many Northern towns and cities are now wastelands. Industry has been outsourced to China and India BY SUCCESSIVE UK GOVERNMENTS MAKING ENERGY WAY TOO EXPENSIVE and what is left is a town where half the people ride around on mobility scooters and live off benefits. It’s appalling the way the North has been left to die. It was once the powerhouse of the industrial revolution but, now, as I said, it’s a wasteland. And now, suddenly, after 13 years, facing annihilation at the next election, the government has suddenly come up with a plan. Will it fool Northern voters? I’d be surprised if it did.
It will be interesting to see Labour’s reaction. They can hardly object – can they?
October 5, 2023
Nobel Winner Drew Weisman Highlighted back in 2018 āNon-Trivialā Side Effects of mRNA Vaccines Including Auto-Immunity and Blood Clotting Risks similar to those we have seen in large numbers in the Covid Vaccine rollout.
See the Daily Sceptic
October 5, 2023
If the whole of HS2 was cancelled, just think of the money available to upgrade even more of the system. According to the HS2 developers the route from London to Birmingham will save 10mins on the journey between the 2.
However there is still a situation of the debt this Conservative Government is forcing on the Taxpayer. Running it up daily with the spend, spend, spend without seeking a return for the UK’s pain. They dont care the are off soon.
A better idea was instead of all this talking and speeches, cancelling and banning how about a balanced budget, expenditure brought under control and an emphasis on creating a real resilient self reliant economy. With a proper economy we would be creating wealth and be able to pay for these aspirations without the need to keep punishing the Taxpayer.
What has the Taxpayer ever done wrong, to have to endure all this pain, this drivel?
October 5, 2023
a YouGov survey conducted yesterday found 69 per cent of voters believe the Conservative Party leader represents āmore of the sameā.
Unable to listen, hear or care. He was always more part of the problem than a solution. The Conservative Party has a lot to answer for, the majority of the UK gave the party a 60 member majority and the party ignored them and deserted anyone who was a Conservative. It looks like the Conservative Party just told lies to get elected knowing full well they had a Socialist agenda. They installed Blair light! – thats wrong this Cabinet is so far left of Labour they have become the Marxist Party
October 5, 2023
Voted Tory and Labour.
October 5, 2023
Very long and I haven’t time to read all of it but after the first few parapgraphs my immediate thought is why has it taken so long? It has been obvious for decades that trans-Pennine and intercity regional and local road and rail transport in the North is woeful and prohibits development. The North also needs its own expanded direct international air links. How can you expect industrial development and all this levelling up stuff if you don’t have all of this basic infrastructure? You might as well expect an investment boom in tne central Sahara. London is not the centre of the North yet government after government has pretended it is.
October 5, 2023
We all need a laugh after the diatribe of disinformation and the tragedy drama of the last couple of days, of failed comedy acts
From today’s MsM
The Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has stunned Remainers in an interview admitting that Project Fear against Brexit was wrong.
Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, has left EU Rejoiners in shock after he told a magazine that Brexit has given the UK opportunities.
In an even more surprising move, Bailey, who was a Remainer, admitted that the Project Fear “dire warnings” about Brexit which the Bank of England and other institutions made during the referendum were wrong.
Mr Bailey said: “I think the post-Brexit landscape does give us opportunities.”
He then went on to admit that EU regulations did not suit the UK.
October 5, 2023
Network North – tranforming british transport
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/651d64646a6955000d78b2e0/network-north-transforming-british-transport.pdf
Smoke & mirrors ….reading this new document tells you this government is against the motorcar, no new road improvement, no new roads, no pot-holes fixed ….its all about trains and getting people into 15min cities …we’re being conned
October 5, 2023
When they say ‘road scheme’ they mean cycle lanes, LTNs, EV charge points, ULEZs etc
October 5, 2023
Who knew we had a quango – National Infrastructure Commission
https://nic.org.uk/
October 5, 2023
If they were improving the Middlesbrough – Sunderland – Newcastle line, or the line out to barrow… then I may have thought they had a clue. If they were going to improve the A1 from Leeds to Edinburgh then I may have thought they had a clue.
But no clues evident, just looks like the clueless shuffling cards.
October 5, 2023
Good Lord! Who wrote all that?
Couldāve been shorter.
āThe destruction of this country continues apace.ā
THE END
WHO wants thousands of houses btw?
October 5, 2023
āWho wants thousands of house btw?ā
The millions of immigrants this Government is letting in year after year, thatās who.
October 5, 2023
Single young mothers and boat people.?
October 5, 2023
Without the latter the former would not need houses to be built on fields.
October 6, 2023
or given various circumstances live with parents/relatives?
October 5, 2023
It is encouraging to know that there is a plan. Comment on it should come from those affected. My only comment is that some of the figures of the sums involved are unintelligable.
Maximise the informed comment and act on it in the production of a firm plan so that figuratively the first spade can go in bafore Easter. Get the finances required established and the contracts finalised with no freedom to over run and penalty clauses.
Do the government have any qualified personnel with private sector big project managerial experience. I would worry if the civil service were allowed anywhere near this work. Look among UK companies running big civil engineering work overseas, where working within budget is an imperative, quite foreign to those working for UK government. Make things happen.
October 5, 2023
So basically this government has failed again on major project management.
Ministers should have been pushing those in charge to deliver – not just rolling over in the face of huge cost increases.
The West Riding and Manchester are already well linked up via the Metro rail network. Mancunians I met last week had no problems getting to Halifax. Itās the link to London that is the crucial one.
Like rail privatisation, which I addressed in another thread, this government has been terrible with a hugely expensive, major, new project. Yet we see a pretence that the government is being proactive and has just spotted a much better use for the funds. A slightly faster link to Birmingham is of little use.
October 5, 2023
Why? Iām sure Iām not the only person who has never been to Manchester. Never have, never will. How many people in Manchester need to take a train to London?
October 5, 2023
The staggering figures revealed in the last few days have made me sit up and think :
We should completely rethink what infrastructure we purchase with Sunak’s Ā£40bn.
69% of the transport budget is spent on the railways yet less than 1% of all journeys are made by rail
Only 6.3% of passenger-km are are made by rail
Nearly half the population uses rail less than once a year
It is the richest 20% that use rail the most, in fact, five times as much as the poorest 40% of households, yet every household subsidises the railways to the tune of Ā£200 per year.
It seems to me that if we are all to be forced into buying EVs by 2035, there is no longer any excuse for preferring expenditure on rail over road. In a decade’s time when the first new schemes come into use, EVs will have started to take over. I would therefore suggest that from now on that we should only utilise funds to enhance rail transport where it is more cost effective than electric road transport. Currently railways cost at least 6 times the cost of building a road with the same capacity.
In fact, for long distance transport, coaches on dedicated lanes are four times as cost effective and convenient that trains and a dedicated bus lane can carry four times the number of passengers per hour than a similar width single railway track. With electric charging built into the road surface, an electric coach with battery power for when it leaves the charging highway to enter a town of village, would be far more convenient than any form of transport other than a car.
October 5, 2023
A massive failure – which has already cost a fortune – dressed up as some imaginative new plan.
Quoting what Starmer said in 2015 – 8 years ago is desperately clutching at straws. Conservatives were in power with a solid majority. Conservatives must therefore take all the blame.
October 5, 2023
Nothing on that list for my local areas. I can’t see a link up for the North Staffordshire Hospital with Stoke Railway Station, and Hanley. No rail link is proposed to Crewe Leighton Hospital with the rail network yet its near the Crewe to Chester line.
Is the Driverless railway introduced through London a lower-cost way to provide more rail for passengers? Could that type of line be used from Hull, Leeds, Manchester to Liverpool? From Stoke or Crewe to Sandbach, Middlewich, Northwich to Manchester Airport and Manchester.
October 5, 2023
The driverless railway in London (the DLR) operates at a top speed of 40mph. I’m not sure anyone would want to travel from Hull to Liverpool at that speed.
October 5, 2023
Would it travel faster with a driver Peter?
DLR is faster than most Tube trains which have drivers.
Average speed is more important than top speed.
October 6, 2023
I think you’ll find that main line trains with drivers currently travel much faster than that. And top speed does matter since the average speed travelled can never be higher than that. Hull to Leeds is about 60 miles, so a train that can’t go above 40mph will take at least 90 minutes to do that journey even if it doesn’t stop anywhere else on the way.
The DLR also doesn’t have hazards like level crossings to deal with.It’s primarily elevated above street level so there’s no need to worry about, for example, livestock wandering onto the tracks. In essence the DLR is deliberately separated from many hazards that the regular railways are not.
October 6, 2023
Good point on speed, maybe better on the shorter routes I discussed. Perhaps technology has changed Peter and this route wouldn’t have the same problems as a main city, the dlr opened in 1987 one would hope that in 36 years engineering improvements have been made.
Perhaps we need Elon Musk’s hyperloop as a test route for him š Heck, we wouldn’t even need 700mph we could settle for 120 mph. Although I read China has a self-driving 100mph already, I believe it was hydrogen/supercapacitor we should ask them to quote because British Engineering is letting us down badly in efficiency and cost.
Japan also has driverless bullet trains ready to launch.
October 6, 2023
PP
It was you that said 40mph was the top speed.
Now you switch to completely new arguments.
Driverless trains can go faster than your top speed.
October 6, 2023
Running the service is more important than have a line with drivers who refuse to work!
October 6, 2023
Even if the driverless trains only operated at night on those lines to carry freight when passenger services stop it would be an improvement wouldn’t it? We don’t want people working nights so from 10pm to 5am driverless slower trains making regular circular transits.
Then on strike days, people could still use the slower trains better than none which affects people all the time now. No one compensates all the theatres and restaurants when people’s plans changed this Wednesday and Friday when strikes were announced and then cancelled, too late the trouble already caused bookings down.
October 5, 2023
I think this narrative of ‘change’ needs reworking.
It’s a good point to say the nature of work and business meetings have changed since covid with more home meetings, more team and Zoom meetings being done online, less rail miles required for passengers. But you guys have been deciding the direction for 13 years (5 of those with the Lib Dems).
Who has said changes are needed to UK A and T levels? Did all of you conservative ministers get together and decide this together? If so, why is it required? What is the point of announcing this now when its not planned for years. This year should have been about what you are going to fix immediately. We’re getting sick of big dream projects that then get canned.
October 5, 2023
baccalaureate levels are Sunaks way of introducing further ‘maths’ via the backdoor on the QT
October 5, 2023
+++
Yes. Good old lockstep again. Following orders. More engineers needed apparently!
One thingā¦it will mean fewer going to university? But what will they do? Where are the jobs?
October 5, 2023
baccalaureate is a way of hiding a collapse in the standards attained in education
October 6, 2023
Its going to collapse even more if Maths is a compulsory element.
Or English for those Maths – Stems bods who currently get four As.
What if someone wants to do the Arts what type of Maths education will be forced on them the same as someone wanting to go onto engineering?
October 5, 2023
I read here:
https://ukandeu.ac.uk/fast-train-to-where-what-hs2-tells-us-about-britains-infrastructure-choices/
“Building HS2 was first adopted … as the result of sustained work over several years by Andrew Adonis.”
Yes, folks, that’s this Andrew Adonis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Adonis,_Baron_Adonis
“Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, PC (born Andreas Adonis; 22 February 1963)[3] is a British Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Blair ministry and the Brown ministry. He served as Secretary of State for Transport from 2009 to 2010, and as Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission from 2015 to 2017. He was Chair of the European Movement, from March 2021 until December 2022 [4] having previously served as Vice-Chairman from 2019 to 2021. He is currently a columnist for The New European.[5]”
Apparently another bad idea imported into our country from the EU by one of its British devotees.
October 5, 2023
If only all this had been planned and executed instead of the pipedream white elephant of HS2.
October 5, 2023
Excellent comment.
October 5, 2023
Guess what:
Brexit has ācreated opportunitiesā and āprotectedā Britain, the governor of the Bank of England has said.
Andrew Bailey said that Britain has overcome āpretty direā warnings that Brexit would damage the country.
Whilst he admitted that the short-term impacts of leaving the Union were negative, Bailey said the future looks bright for the UK post-EU.
āI think the post-Brexit landscape does give us opportunities,ā he said.
āIf you reduce the openness of an economy, in the short run it will have negative effects,’ he said. ‘It will have a negative effect on productivity, it will have a negative effect on growth… that’s the point about openness.
āIn the longer run, you know, those trading relationships adjust in the real economy and we build new trading relationships.”
Bailey said that the UK has found great opportunities post-EU.
Who is now for U-turning?
October 5, 2023
Not him! He deliberately wanted to do damage to the U.K. He LIED! They lied. They should be stripped of all office.
October 5, 2023
Talking of transport:
More than 100,000 non-UK residents have not yet paid their ULEZ fines, dealing yet another blow to London mayor Sadiq Khan as anger over what critics have branded a “stealth tax” mounts.
Data has indicated that Transport for London (TfL) issued a total of 167,663 ULEZ fines to vehicles not registered in the UK. To date, 30,520 of these have been cancelled – resulting in lost revenue totalling Ā£4.98 million.
The remaining 115,048 – total value rougly Ā£20 million – are classified as open cases – in other words, where the fines have not been paid and are being pursued, or are in process of being cancelled.
In other words, only 13 percent of all fines so far issued to non-UK registered vehicles in 2022 have been paid, according to the data commissioned by the Liberal Democrats.
October 5, 2023
+++
Delicious!
October 5, 2023
Thank god its not about revenue collect but rather saving the planet
October 5, 2023
+1
Nice bit of research
October 6, 2023
Khan needs to get his fine computers linked up to the ports and channel tunnel, they can’t board until they pay ;). when they book their ticket to travel with their registration it gets checked against the police, speed cameras and ulez cameras, fine or confiscation of the vehicle.
October 5, 2023
The Daily Express reports that the Government will reopen the Stoke-Leek line as part of the HS2 cancellation windfall. That should be interesting as Leek station has been replaced by a Morrisons supermarket. Also as we speak the Churnet Valley (heritage) Railway are laying track from Leekbrook Junction to a proposed new station on the outskirts of Leek. This track is being laid under a Light Railway Order and so is likely to be restricted to 25 mph.
October 5, 2023
If all that needed doing and did so for years, why did the government wait until cancelling HS2 a couple of days ago just to begin to afford it?
October 5, 2023
The tories arenāt clever saving Ā£40bn on cancelling the 2nd leg of HS2 ā¦.they were stupid for spending Ā£40bn on the 1st leg
October 6, 2023
Yes, idiocy throughout.
October 6, 2023
Perhaps because the government now get to choose where it spends its Brexit membership fees and vat fees and is no longer tied to EU projects like HS2, they claimed the glorious EU was paying for part of the new rail line to connect Europe, but it all got screwed up somewhere along the line if HS1 didn’t connect to HS2 anyway so that their trains could speed through without requiring British rail.
October 5, 2023
While you were in Manchester, did you happen to look at a map of the current Metrolink? It already goes to Manchester Airport and has done for nearly a decade.
Meanwhile, the U-turns have already started. The Leamside line in the North East has already been pulled from the plans.
October 5, 2023
yes
October 6, 2023
I noticed that too ! The Manchester Metrolink station opened at the airport nine years ago.
The speech has all the hallmarks of being made up in the bar the night before.
October 6, 2023
It certainly doesn’t appear to have been sanity checked or fact checked. A new station for Bradford has already been announced previously (twice, and cancelled twice) since the last general election. Some of the road schemes were originally announced by previous administrations.
A bunch of random stuff thrown together last minute in an attempt to distract, probably, as you suggest, in the bar the night before.
October 6, 2023
Perhaps there are plans to improve the links Peter i.e from the Sale purple line direct to the airport a short hop instead of having to go into Manchester Central and back out again. The green Old Trafford Line could also connect via Brooklands or Sale or even the Didsbury line?
October 5, 2023
āThe UK will sign a deal with the EU’s border agency to help stem the flow of migrants into the UKā GB News
What has Sunak promised now ?
October 5, 2023
Manchester Metrolink already runs to Manchester Airport and has since 2014. It doesnāt inspire confidence when the government are boasting about delivering infrastructure that already exists.
October 6, 2023
Perhaps its a link from a different line in Manchester a bit more joined up network from Brooklands or Didsbury Julian. One can hope.
October 6, 2023
Why .o why didn’t for once in his life Sunak do something sensible and devote the money saved by curtailing HS2 to some tax cutting instead of replacing one big project with runaway costs with many smaller projects of little use with runaway costs? A cut in Corporation Tax would yield many times the return and hugely more quickly than any railway upgrades would.
October 6, 2023
Or take the 5% VAT off energy.
October 6, 2023
The “scorched earth” policy on the land for the HS2 project is a shameful part of this announcement.
“We’re not going to do what we promised, and we’re going to make damn sure no one else can either.”