Sunak’s ?36bn rail plan already unravelling with pledge U-turn and …

Rishi Sunak’s ^[1] promise to scrap the northern leg of HS2 and spend billions of pounds ^[2] on local transport links began to unravel on Thursday as major doubts appeared over several schemes.

The Prime Minister axed the Birmingham-Manchester section of the high-speed rail line ^[3], pledging instead to reinvest the £36.5bn into a new Network North transport project to upgrade hundreds of rail, road and tram projects across the country.

However, question marks have now emerged over some of the proposals, including the commitment to link the remaining leg of HS2 to Euston in central London ^[4].

Officials have admitted that none of the private investment required for the Euston section ^[5] has been secured – raising questions over Mr Sunak’s claims that the new Euston station plan would deliver “£6.5bn in savings”, which was part of the £36.5bn announced on Wednesday.

It means that the high-speed rail line may be forced to terminate at Old Oak Common in west London, unless private investors can be found to deliver the entire Euston scheme, including the four-and-a-half mile tunnel required to go into central London.

Several projects announced by the Conservatives during the party’s conference in Manchester this week have either disappeared from official policy documents or have already been built.

A number had already been promised by the Conservatives but delayed, including the A1 upgrade that was first put forward by David Cameron.

The Northern Echo ^[6] reported how documents published on Wednesday had said that the Leamside Line in Northumberland would be reopened using money saved by axing HS2 North.

A document listing benefits to the North East stated: “The Leamside Line, closed in 1964, will also be reopened”, it reported.

But all reference to the line appeared to have been removed by Thursday, in an apparent U-turn. Transport minister Richard Holden said on Thursday that the Government was only “committed to looking into it [Leamside]”.

He added: “We want to work with local partners to consider the different uses for the route and what their priorities would be for transport in the area.”

There was also confusion over announcements that suggested the Government was promising to extend the Manchester Metrolink line to Manchester Airport, a route that was completed nine years ago.

The Department for Transport clarified that the line would just be extended to a second terminal, though there remained questions why it would want to do so when the airport buildings are so close to each other.

Ministers were also forced to correct an error after the Government promised to upgrade the A252 between Bognor Regis and Southampton, when it meant Littlehampton some 45 miles away.

Henri Murison, the chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the decision to scrap the Leamside Line promise made the whole Network North scheme a “fairytale” and accused the Government of “misleading” the public.

“If this is what they have done and they have gone back on their word, how can we believe anything else that they have said in the last week?” he said.

“How can the Prime Minister have any credibility on the commitments he has made? If they don’t honour their commitments made on this it would be significant evidence of a betrayal of the North of England.”

Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said the plans were being done on the “back of a fag packet” and were a “shambles”.

She added: “These are promises that have been made to the North and Midlands countless times before – and frankly they are sick and tired of empty promises from this broken Government.”

The Government denied that the Leamside Line had been dropped, and added that it had committed to HS2 terminating at Euston.

“There is already support and interest from the private sector,” a spokesman said. “Ministers have had discussions with key partners since the announcement and the Transport Secretary will be meeting with the Euston Partnership in the coming weeks.”

References

^{^} Rishi Sunak’s (inews.co.uk)
^{^} scrap the northern leg of HS2 and spend billions of pounds (inews.co.uk)
^{^} high-speed rail line (inews.co.uk)
^{^} HS2 to Euston in central London (inews.co.uk)
^{^} none of the private investment required for the Euston section (inews.co.uk)
^{^} The Northern Echo (www.thenorthernecho.co.uk)