Election manifesto: Regional investment but no HS2 commitment

The Conservative Party has promised to invest £100 billion in “transforming the UK’s infrastructure” - but has given no firm backing for HS2.

Should it be re-elected to government on December 12, the party has pledged to provide unspecified amounts of funding for both Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Rail Hub.

But while both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have made explicit commitments to building HS2 in full, the Conservative election manifesto merely describes what would become Europe’s largest construction project as “a great ambition”.

This ambiguous stance on the future of the project comes despite a leaked copy of the yet-to-be-published Oakervee review into HS2 recommending that government presses on with the scheme, despite estimated costs having risen from £56bn to £88bn (RAIL 892).

• For the FULL story, read RAIL 893, out now.