Campaign for Better Transport calls to expand rail capacity and review HS2 cancellation

Credit: HS2

The Campaign for Better Transport has announced a call for the new UK government to prioritise expanding rail capacity and improving connectivity. The charity is urging a reconsideration of the cancelled sections of the HS2 project and an immediate halt to the sell-off of HS2 land while the project’s future is reviewed.

Silviya Barrett of Campaign for Better Transport said: “The government has inherited a west coast main line that is bursting at the seams. Before the hammer-blow of its cancellation, HS2’s Northern leg would have provided desperately-needed capacity, as well as boosting northern economies and encouraging green travel. For the sake of current and future generations, the government must consider the best way to expand rail capacity and improve connectivity, which could include reviving all or parts of the abandoned HS2 sections.”

In its paper,  HS2: what next?, Campaign for Better Transport calls on the new administration to:

• Immediately halt the sell-off of land on HS2’s northern sections
• Review the option to revive all or parts of the abandoned HS2 sections
• Develop credible plans to increase capacity and connectivity on any sections that would be impossible to revive
• Engage with infrastructure investors to explore all funding options for future projects
• Commit to funding and completing other vital rail and local infrastructure projects already in the pipeline, including Northern Powerhouse Rail, the new station at Bradford, rail re-openings and the West Yorkshire mass transit system.

Barrett further stated, “Decisions regarding major infrastructure projects should be made with a long-term vision in mind, which is why the HS2 project was approved 15 years ago with cross-party support. Moving forward, serious work is needed to ensure that cost escalations are minimised. But as the hugely successful Elizabeth line has demonstrated, once such large-scale projects are completed, the benefits quickly make up for the costs.”

The King’s Speech on 17 July 2024 is anticipated to include legislation to reform the railways.