The Prime Minister has announced the Government will support a series of transport schemes after cutting HS2 north of Birmingham.
Rishi Sunak pledged to “reinvest every single penny, £36 billion, in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, across the country”.
This includes the creation of what he named Network North, which involves improvements to road, rail and bus schemes.
The projects he mentioned in his speech to the Conservative Party conference were:
– Train journeys from Manchester on a “fully electrified line” to a new station in Bradford in 30 minutes, Sheffield in 42 minutes and Hull in one hour and 24 minutes.
– He will “protect the £12 billion to link up Manchester and Liverpool as planned”.
– Build the Midlands Rail Hub connecting 50 stations.
– Extend the West Midlands Metro.
– Build a tram network in Leeds.
– Electrify the North Wales Mainline.
– Keep the £2 cap on single bus fares across England.
– Upgrade the A1, A2, A5 and M6 roads.
– Upgrade the A75 to boost links between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
– Fund the proposed Shipley Bypass in Bradford, the Blyth Relief Road in Northumberland and “deliver 70 other road schemes”.
– Resurface roads “across the country”.
– Reopen the Don Valley railway line between Sheffield and Stocksbridge, South Yorkshire.
– Upgrade the Energy Coast railway line between Carlisle, Workington and Barrow, Cumbria.
– Build “hundreds of other schemes”.
