Lucy Allan MP has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement that HS2 will be cancelled beyond Birmingham and the money redirected to local transport and infrastructure across the Midlands and the North of England.
As a result of the decision, Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire gain a share of new £2.2bn Midlands Local Integrated Transport Settlement, an entirely new fund for Councils outside the West Midlands Combined Authority. Furthermore, the direct train service from Shrewsbury, Wellington and Telford to London will be protected by the Government.
There will additionally be increased funding for the bus service improvement plan for the Midlands, improving and expanding services in Telford and more funding for resurfacing roads and repairing potholes.
Lucy Allan MP said:
People in Telford were never convinced about the costs versus benefits of HS2. People and businesses in Telford have always, rightly, been more focused on improving our rail link to Birmingham and local transport. The Prime Minister has taken the right decision.
High Speed Rail to London will still be accessible from Birmingham Curzon Street. This will free up capacity on the West Midlands network. As a result, the direct Telford-London services will continue to operate.
There is more work to be done improving our connectivity between Telford and the rest of the West Midlands, with a faster more reliable service to Birmingham and I will be lobbying the Government to ensure money saved by cancelling the Manchester leg of HS2 is used to improve our connectivity locally.
