Earlier today, the Government announced that it is still planning to go ahead with a new high-speed rail line that will reach Birmingham by 2026, and then be connected to Manchester and Leeds. And it’s doing so in the face of widespread scepticism among the public and business leaders.
When we at the TPA commissioned YouGov to test public support for different cuts in public spending, 48 per cent of the public supported cutting the project against just 34 per cent opposed. While organisations like the CBI back high-speed rail, the Institute of Directors (IoD) actually asked their members and found that 38 per cent thought HS2 would represent poor value for money, against 30 per cent who thought it would represent good value. And more of them prioritise improvements to the motorway network, the local road network, existing intercity rail, commuter rail and local services like the London Underground above high-speed rail.
Is it really wise to go ahead with an investment of this scale when the public is so unconvinced? After all, ministers need to back the scheme not just today but through years of painful austerity before construction even starts.
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