High speed rail line
Building a new high-speed rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds would be one of the Conservative Party’s first acts in Government if they win the next general election, Shadow Transport Secretary, Theresa Villiers MP, has said.
The Conservatives announced their plans for the new line at their party conference in October last year, three months before the Government launched their own proposals. The overall cost is estimated to be £20 billion in today’s money. £15.7 billion of this would be met by the taxpayer with the rest being generated by the private sector.
Ms Villiers told the Birmingham Post “we would want to get started on the preparation, including preparing for the competition for building the line, as soon as possible if we do win the general election. We have set out a timetable for delivering the whole of what we propose i.e. London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds by 2027.”
Beverley and Holderness MP, Graham Stuart, responded by saying: “This is great news for the region. To have one of the main political parties going into the election promising a high-speed rail link for Yorkshire is something to celebrate. We need to improve our transport infrastructure and make it easier for businesses and people to travel between cities at quicker speeds. This will benefit our local economy and make the region more accessible to other parts of the country.
“It’s disappointing that the Government’s plans don’t include Yorkshire but I’m pleased that, if the Conservatives win the next election, Yorkshire will win as well.”
