Rishi Sunak has said they are reinvesting HS2 money into improving rail and road networks in the north. Photo: REUTERS/HANNAH MCKAY
Rishi Sunak announced the £36bn Network North transport project, which will replace the second HS2 line.
After weeks of speculation, the Prime Minister told the Tory conference on Wednesday, that the Birmingham to Manchester section would not continue.
He confirmed the line would end at Euston in central London and announced plans to strip HS2 Ltd of its powers to punish its management.
Mr Sunak called HS2 «the best example of the old consensus» and said the business case for the project had been «considerably weakened».
He said the money saved would help fund road, rail and other improvements across the north. including an east-west rail link and a tram network in Leeds.
Mr Sunak said: “We need a new Network North that connects our cities and towns. This will be our goal.»
He also called on the Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, who has refused to rule out resigning over HS2, to work with him to improve transport.
“I say to those who supported the project in the first place: the facts have changed and the right decision when facts change is to have the courage to change direction,” he said.
“And so I end this long saga. I'm canceling the rest of HS2 and instead we will reinvest every penny, £36 billion, into hundreds of new transport projects in the North and Midlands across the country.»
The Prime The minister said his announcement on HS2 «will be criticized» and he will be accused of a «lack of ambition».
But he said he had no ambition to «plow more and more money into the wrong project «, saying the business case for the project has been weakened by Covid, meaning businesspeople are holding more remote meetings.
He said £36 billion would be spent on hundreds of projects in the north and midlands, including new electrified rail lines that would connect northern cities faster.
< p> “I challenge anyone to tell me with with a serious face that all this is what the north really needs,” he said.
The Prime Minister said: “Our plan will drive much more growth and opportunity here. in the north than a faster train to London ever could.
“And given how far construction has gone, we will complete the line from Birmingham to Euston, and yes, there will still be HS2 trains service here to Manchester and journey times between Manchester, Birmingham and London will be reduced by 30 minutes.
“And I say this to Andy Street, a man I admire and respect. I know we have different views on HS2.
“But I also know we can work together to deliver faster, stronger backbone, faster trains and more capacity between Birmingham and Manchester.”
The Prime Minister accused HS2 Ltd of mismanagement and said the London terminus would be taken out of the hands of HS2 Ltd and handed over to the new Euston Development Area, where more homes would also be built.
»There must be some responsibility for the mistakes made and poor management of this project,» he said, adding that the £6.5 billion in savings would be spent across the country.
'A terrible signal'
But Darren Kaplan , chief executive of the Railway Industry Association, said its members would be «disappointed» by the announcement.
“The government cites cost as the main reason for abandoning Phase 2, but it must be remembered that this was the government's own scheme, built to its own specifications, and that the reduction and change in the scope and timing of the project — significantly adding cost and delay — is entirely the fault of government. Every time the scheme is revised, costs increase.
“Abandoning phase 2 of HS2 is simply unnecessary and would result in the loss of all the benefits of phase 1.
“Today’s nuclear option is defeatist . and sends a terrible signal to potential overseas investors that the UK simply cannot deliver major national transport infrastructure projects.”
Sir John Peace, Chairman of Midlands Connect, said: “We are disappointed and disappointed by the announcement of HS2.”
“The Midlands rail hub and road programs, including the A5 announced today, resonate with us. these are our East-West transformation priorities in the region that we have recommended and are pushing forward with the Government.»
Laurence Turner, head of policy at the GMB union, said: «Rishi Sunak's decision to make the biggest rail cuts since Beeching's ax will send shockwaves through the construction industry and the rail supply chain, leading to hundreds of job losses.
“Political instability in the UK was already holding back the economy — now it will be even more difficult. to fund and build the new infrastructure the country desperately needs.
“We won’t be able to rebalance the economy or fix the rail capacity crisis without HS2. It is vital that the planned route is protected so that a future government can reverse this disastrous decision.”
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