The government’s decision to cancel the Manchester leg of the HS2 project has created uncertainty for the North of England. Previously, leaders in the region believed that HS2 would underpin future economic growth, but the cancellation has left them uncertain over what could be achieved. Although the government has pointed to the billions of pounds that are being redirected to other projects, trust in the government promises has been shaken.
This week, the government announced a myriad of smaller transport projects that could affect a wider area than HS2. For example, a new station is being planned for Ferryhill in County Durham and a stretch of the A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham could be upgraded to a dual carriageway over a 13-mile stretch after being talked about for decades. Yet doubts persist over whether these projects will actually come to fruition given that many of them have been promised before.
Transport journalist Phil Haigh questions whether the government can be trusted to deliver, having just ditched a project that had been in planning for 15 years. As a result, the fundamental challenge for the government is trust, as the potential failure of these projects may affect how people vote.
Despite this uncertainty, the government has promised impressive journey times across the North of England, including a commitment to electrify the Hope Valley Line between Sheffield and Manchester, build a new station in Bradford, open a new line in the Don Valley to Sheffield, and extend electrification to Hull. If delivered, these projects could make a serious difference to residents and businesses in the area.
Though the Birmingham to Leeds leg of HS2 was cancelled earlier this year and the Manchester leg this week, the government insists that the North will not be left out in the cold. The government argues that with billions of pounds being redirected to other northern projects, there is hope that the North of England will see similar benefits to HS2. However, this will require significant trust from northern residents in the government’s promises, something that has been eroded following the cancellation of HS2 and other broken pledges
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