Business leaders from across the North of England have written to Boris Johnson following the Government’s rail announcement this week

In the letter they say that they believe that this plan can deliver neither the high performing, productive Northern economy demanded by a Global Britain, nor the levelling up that has been identified as a key goal for your government.

The North’s business opportunities they say will not be maximised without the right connectivity,

“which in our view depends upon the full delivery of both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail. With that investment we really can build an inclusive economy which is globally competitive, socially inclusive, and environmentally responsible.”

They add that “Whilst the upgrades and new lines announced in the Integrated Rail Plan will benefit the North, we believe delivery of the original plan for HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail is central to transforming our connectivity: allowing both more intercity services to run on new track, but also releasing current railway capacity for local and commuter services, extending benefits to the towns outside of metropolitan centres.

On the plans themselves: and  “ It is difficult to see how the Government’s proposed programme of upgrades with limited new infrastructure will provide a comparable increase in capacity and, instead, we now face a programme of lengthy disruption which has the potential to sever existing connectivity and significantly damage the North’s economy in the medium-term

 

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