No announcements for Integrated Rail Plan for HS2 in UK’s Autumn budget

Rishi Sunak failed to give any details about the government's long-delayed plan to build a faster railway in this week’s budget announcements, days before COP26.

No announcements for Integrated Rail Plan for HS2 in UK’s Autumn budget

In this week’s Autumn Budget and Spending review, Chancellor Rishi Sunak failed to deliver insight into how lines such as HS2 and the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will link up, and how much it will cost –  information that was expected in the review’s announcement.

Sunak did say in his speech that the plan will be published “soon”, as he promised to “dramatically improve journey times between our towns and cities”. There has been suggestion that the details could be published next month, thanks to reporting last week, according to i newspaper, a Whitehall official said: “The [plan] is currently with the PM’s policy team being rewritten. Boris came back from holiday and was not happy with what the Treasury and Department for Transport had come up with, which is an NPR network on a shoestring, when this is his flagship Red Wall policy.”

The plan is now almost a year late, and Institute of Civil Engineers director of policy Chris Richards has said: “This uncertainty has caused untold damage to the communities living along the eastern leg of HS2 while also meaning we still lack plans to deliver the connectivity promised between cities and regions across the north of England,”

Alasdair Reisner, chief executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association said in a tweet: “Oh dear - confirmation of no Integrated Rail Plan today. Not clear how you can plan a Budget when you haven't confirmed one of the major spend items.”

Chief executive of Aecom Europe and India, Colin Wood, mentioned that the lack of decision was a “disappointing omission”. He added, "Long-term projects such as the eastern leg of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse rail are key to boosting the country’s post-COVID economy. We hope the much-anticipated Integrated Rail Plan will include a commitment to deliver HS2 in full and provide further clarity around rail plans for the North and Midlands."

Within the budget, there is confirmation that the Spending Review commits to more than £35 billion of rail investment over the next three years. The document said: “This includes High Speed 2, rail enhancements and vital renewals to boost connectivity across the country – focusing on the Midlands and the North, dramatically reducing journey times,”  however, there was no more detail to be found.

Along the HS2 route, archeologists have found an “astounding” set of Roman sculptures in an abandoned medieval church in Buckinghamshire. The archeologists from Fusion JV, a HS2 contractor, are digging the area up due to the rail being built within the church’s vicinity. 3000 bodies have been removed from the church, which dates back to 1080, and will be reburied in another location. Unusual stone carvings and medieval graffiti, such as sundials and witching marks have also been found on the church walls.

Not all people agree that HS2 is a necessary investment, and the plans have been heavily protested by many in the Midlands. A recent protest at the start of the year saw a group of six environmental activists, including veteran activist Swampy face eviction, after barricading themselves inside a Euston tunnel protesting the rail project. After walking out of court scot free, the activists built the Wendover Active Resistance Camp, found in Buckinghamshire, in an attempt to stifle the project’s progress further. The group are now being evicted by bailiffs, but are not expected to go quietly or quickly. 

A 31 year old activist going by the name of Satchel, said: “I’m here because this is more than stopping a train line. It’s the only effective way I can protest the new draconian police, crime, sentencing and courts bill with anti-trespass laws. This eviction should be a long one, as we aren’t planning on going anywhere soon. It could take them many weeks to remove us all.” The protesters believe the court order granting HS2 permission to carry out the eviction is unlawful.

A HS2 spokesperson said: “This land is legally owned by HS2 Ltd and needed for the construction of the railway. We are now working to clear the area so our staff can continue their work.” They added that staff had faced physical attacks and abuse, leading to hospitalisation, but the activists denied the claims.

A recent report by Oxford Economics, commissioned by the Railway Industry Association (RIA) has found that the investment in HS2 is worse value for money than improving the UK’s already existing railway networks. Sir John Armitt, chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, has called the estimations “notoriously speculative” saying: “Calculation of the amount of money specific schemes will pay back over time is notoriously speculative, but on a broad assessment of economic benefits, improving regional links – especially east to west such as between Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool – is likely to make the biggest difference.”

Header Image Credit: "British Rail IC 125 High Speed Train (Postcard)" by roger4336 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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Ash Edmonds

Ash Edmonds Kickstart

A graduate of Music Journalism from BIMM Brighton – where he now lives – Ash has been writing about everything creative for the past few years. An avid audiophile, he spends a lot of his time searching streaming platforms, record stores and live shows trying to find his next musical obsession.

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