Concerns raised about the impact of HS2 delay on North of England

The government's decision to delay the Birmingham to Crewe leg of the project has been criticised

Author: Jonny FreemanPublished 10th Mar 2023

There's been widespread criticism of the government's plan to cut costs by delaying the HS2 High Speed rail line.

The Transport Secretary wants to save money by pushing back the extension between Birmingham and Crewe, as the project's significantly over budget and its costs have soared over recent years.

Trains will also initially stop short of central London, despite the plans being to have the terminus in the heart of the capital.

There's also been concerns about the impact of the decision on the north of England.

Labour claims northern England's " being asked to pay the price for staggering Conservative failure".

Similar concerns have been raised in a thread of tweets by the High Speed Rail Group.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said people need to be "realistic" about HS2 after ministers delayed the Birmingham to Crewe leg by two years.

He's said the UK's investing more in any time since the Victorian era:

"We're doing huge amounts with regards to rail travel but we have got to be realistic when we have a significant economic impact through Covid, so we have to respond to that."

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