HS2: Yet another betrayal to the North
Yesterday, the Government announced that the East leg of HS2 was being scrapped. It marks yet another broken promise made by Westminster, rightly disgruntling the people affected.
What is HS2?
High Speed 2 (HS2) is the plan to transform rail services in North and the Midlands. The Goverment first announced plans for such a system in 2009, with the aim of a better transport network for the UK. The emphasis was on connecting key UK cities to London, in particular the Midlands and the North.
Why is the Government scrapping a part of it?
The response given was that faster travel could be achieved in up to 10 years earlier than predicted previously. Also, it has been said that committing to the East leg would take much more time at a high cost, despite most of the cost being announced.
What is the effect of this decision?
This has sparked backlash from the Opposition as well as key officials. The North was promised investment, a relevelling of the system to help tackle the inequalities in the North-South divide. This decision leaves key Northern cities without a viable transport option, making the South and its opportunities even more inaccessible. It represents yet another broken promise in a line of broken promises from the Government.
Transport is a crucial investment - and this decision indicates the Government's priority is not the North or the Midlands. How can we hope to have anywhere near the same opportunites as the South if we are not invested in? How can we access opportunities in top Northern cities without appropriate rail services?
How can we hope to progress as a nation if one half is deprived to such an extent? We saw with the COVID recovery aid how the Government refused to provide the financial aid Manchester deserved, and the overhaul of the East leg demonstrates the ongoing commitment to ensuring Northern cities are left struggling.
Given this Government has become synonymous with U-turns, I hope they realise the disastrous consequences of this decision and will reverse it to give the people of the North and Midlands the investment they were promised.
*Check out this article for a good graphic of HS2: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59334043
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