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UK: The National Infrastructure Commission has released its final report into the rail needs of the Midlands and north of England, commissioned by the government to inform the development of an Integrated Rail Plan https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
NIC calls for a commitment to a ‘core pipeline for investment’ to provide stability and confidence. For reasons of affordability it proposes cutting back or delaying many schemes, including part of #HS2 Phase 2b and the new Northern Powerhouse Rail line https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
NIC makes five proposals, based on three budgets https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
‘Constraining spending and ambition will lead to cut-price versions of the current plans and promised projects simply not being delivered — that will curtail investment in the north and cost many jobs’, said Barry White, Chief Executive at @Transport4North https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said ‘the limited remit of the National Infrastructure Commission means its report is based on a set of narrow considerations that fail to address the broader implications https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
Cllr Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council, said ‘we have set out an ambition for a minimum of two trains per hour to serve every West Yorkshire rail station with up to six per hour on major routes, as part of an integrated transport system' https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary @JimfromOldham said ‘if the government is serious about improving British infrastructure, supporting jobs and improving connectivity in the north it cannot now row back from building HS2 in its entirety’ https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
. @RailIndustry Association CEO Darren Caplan welcomed the call for a consistent programme and ending ‘boom and bust’ work profiles, saying it was ‘vital we deliver HS2, Transpennine Route Upgrade, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Engine Rail in full' https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
Rail Fourm @MidlandsRail CEO Elaine Clark said ‘our rail supply chain will understandably be very concerned that all the promises of opportunities to work with HS2 will be significantly scaled back’ https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
Maria Machancoses, director of @MidsConnect said ‘some of the options in this report are very concerning. Sacrificing parts of the high speed network now would short-change millions of people' https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
Read the full story at https://bit.ly/3r4jDJ9
