UK government faces criticism over high-speed rail revisions
ABC News
The British government has came under fire for scrapping a long-planned high-speed rail line to the northern English city of Leeds as part of a package of revisions that potentially reduces costs by tens of billions of pounds
LONDON -- The British government came under fire Thursday for scrapping a long-planned high-speed rail line to the northern English city of Leeds as part of a package of revisions that potentially reduces costs by tens of billions of pounds.
Critics argue the scaling back of plans will leave many parts of northern England at an economic disadvantage, and runs against Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson's stated ambition to “level-up” the country, by spreading prosperity away from London and other wealthy parts in the south.
In an announcement to lawmakers, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the planned extension of the new high-speed rail line, known as HS2, from the East Midlands to Leeds has been scrapped and that the new high-speed trains will run on existing lines. He also said that a high-speed rail line linking Leeds with Manchester, which is around 45 miles (72 kilometers) away, will now be a combination of new track and enhancements to existing infrastructure.
HS2 trains, which will have a top speed of around 250 m.p.h., will slash journey times, link up cities outside London with the high-speed lines in Europe through the Channel Tunnel as well as increase capacity.
