HS2 delay will betray Yorkshire – The Yorkshire Post says

This would be a disaster for Yorkshire.

The eastern leg of HS2 to Sheffield and Leeds holds out the promise of tens of thousands of new jobs, colossal investment in industry and the transformation of transport links to set the region on course for a bright future.

It is as imperative that HS2 goes ahead as it is for the high-speed rail line across the Pennines.

Both are vital if an essentially Victorian system that is increasingly struggling to cope with the huge demands placed upon it is to be transformed to give Yorkshire a transport network fit for the 21st century.

Business and civic leaders in our region have fought long and hard for HS2 to become a reality, and now it is clear that their efforts will need to be redoubled.

Delaying or scrapping HS2 would be incontrovertible evidence of a glaring inconsistency at the heart of the Government’s pledges to level up the economy. No such long-term ambitions could be successfully achieved without high-speed rail.

The arguments in its favour are, if anything, even more compelling as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, which has inflicted such appalling economic damage. HS2 should be viewed as a central component in recovering from that.

Delaying or cancelling the new line would be an unforgivable betrayal of Yorkshire. Britain undoubtedly faces hard choices over its finances as a result of the pandemic, but abandoning an essential piece of new infrastructure that would deliver immense benefits amounts to false economy. Yorkshire deserves HS2 and must not be denied it.

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