Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the £36bn saved from scrapping the high-speed rail project to Manchester will be used for alternative rail, road, and bus schemes. However, there are doubts surrounding some of the proposed projects, as some have been promised before or lack sufficient funding.
One question arising from the cancellation of the high-speed line to Manchester is whether longer platforms will be provided. As HS2 trains from Birmingham will still continue into the city on existing tracks, longer platforms would be necessary for passenger disembarkation. While the Department for Transport pointed towards the £12bn funding to better connect Manchester with Liverpool, it is unclear whether this money will be used to improve the platforms.
The announcement of a dual carriageway between Morpeth and Ellingham in North East England is not a new development. This stretch of road has been promised since at least 1990, with former Prime Minister David Cameron allocating £290m for its completion before 2020. The project’s repetition raises doubts about its execution.
West Yorkshire’s long-awaited mass transit system linking Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, and Wakefield will receive £2.5bn in investment. However, it was initially granted only £100m in the government’s 2021 Integrated Rail Plan, despite an estimated cost of over £2bn. This announcement follows the cancellation of previous transport projects in Leeds, such as the supertram project in 2005 and the trolleybus in 2016.
A railway station in Bradford will now be included in a £2bn investment plan, despite previous cancellations and reinstatements. The fluctuating decisions surrounding this project indicate uncertainties in its future.
While some transport schemes were announced, amendments were made almost immediately. For instance, the reopening of the Leamside rail line in County Durham was initially included in the plan but was later changed to a £100m allocation for the West of England Combined Authority. The inconsistency in project details raises questions about their feasibility.
The electrification of the North Wales Main Line has been given £1bn in funding. However, the cost of electrifying a similar-length line between Maidenhead and Cardiff in 2016 reached almost £2.8bn. The difference in costs raises concerns about the sufficiency of the allocated funding. Additionally, more funding has been allocated to the South of England than to Wales.
Several projects that have already been delivered, such as the extension of Manchester’s Metrolink to the airport in 2014 and the completion of the Clifton South tram extension in Nottingham in 2015, were mentioned as possibilities for further investment. This suggests a lack of updated information and research in the government’s announcements.
The Scottish government is responsible for transport infrastructure in Scotland. However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that UK government funding will be used to address pinch points on the A75 between Gretna and Stranraer and improve links between the Cairnryan ferry terminals and the A77 towards Glasgow. The costs and allocations for these projects are unknown.
While the government claims that “every penny” of the savings will be reinvested, the breakdown shows that around £32bn has been allocated for new schemes, leaving about £4bn unaccounted for. The government also stated that the projects will be delivered more quickly than HS2, with some funds becoming available in the next few years. However, approval and planning processes will still be required before the projects can proceed.