Time to scrap this white elephant of HS2 and focus on Northern transport.
Mexborough First councillor Sean Gibbons, said the budget was now ‘ludicrous’ after a review said it was now £22bn over budget.
He represents an area which is forecast to be the hardest hit from demolitions to make way for the line.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced the first phase of the HS2 high-speed railway between London and Birmingham will be delayed by up to five years.
That section of the line was due to open at the end of 2026, but it could now be between 2028 and 2031 before the first trains run on the route.
HS2’s total cost has also risen from £62bn to between £81bn and £88bn. The second phase which passes through Mexborough has also been delayed.
The route – from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds – was due to open in 2032-33, but that has been pushed back to 2035-2040.
The statement coming from the Transport Secretary was based on a report which concluded the new railway line ‘could not be delivered within the current budget’.
You can read the full article by visiting the following link – Doncaster Free Press
