Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Monday, 25th September 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Monday, 25th September 2023
Tories are warning Rishi Sunak of meltdown if he scraps the HS2 Manchester leg days before the party’s conference in the city.
An article in the Mail Online says the PM is facing a mounting backlash amid signs that the government is on the cusp of downgrading the project again over spiralling costs.
Former chancellor George Osborne and Lord Heseltine said that the move would be a ‘gross act of vandalism’ and ‘abandon’ the North and Midlands.
An article on Insider Media Limited says cabinet minister Grant Shapps told the BBC that the government would need to make “serious decisions” on affordability amid the soaring cost of HS2.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to enter discussions about the northern leg of HS2 before taking a decision of “epic proportions” on the future of the infrastructure scheme. The call comes as doubts intensified about the government’s commitment to the Manchester leg of the project.
Meanwhile on the Construction Enquirer website it says two former chairmen of HS2 have publicly attacked the Government as is prepared to further scale back plans for the high speed link.
David Higgins and Allan Cook voiced their opposition in letters to the Times this morning.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Great Northern, has appointed Mark Pavlides as Chief Customer Officer.
The company says this new role is at the heart of decision-making for GTR and will further elevate the customer experience and customer care across the operator’s network for all passengers.
Finally, A beloved Yorkshire train line which featured in The Railway Children film is to be protected and partly rebuilt with £1 million in funding.
A beloved Yorkshire train line which featured in The Railway Children film is to be protected and partly rebuilt with £1 million in funding.
An article on The Yorkshire Post website says the Government is spending more than £12.3 million to secure 45 treasured spaces in villages, towns and cities across the country.
And among them is the railway bridge which carries the train line over Bridgehouse Beck between Keighley and Oxenhope. Originally built in 1867, it will now be rebuilt with £1 million from the Community Ownership Fund.
Photo credit: HS2
