Conservatives promise GBR and Network North “in full”

There were few surprises in the Conservatives’ manifesto, which was launched today (Wednesday 11 June), with the party pledging to deliver the Network North schemes outlined in last year’s paper as well as establish Great British Railways.

It has also reaffirmed its commitment to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail with £12 billion earmarked to complete the project between Manchester and Liverpool, although there was no mention of the further £4 billion originally pledged in the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) in 2021.

The Network North paper was launched last year as a response to the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2 and included reopening some of the lines originally closed in the Beeching cuts. However, the manifesto doesn’t provide specifics on which lines could be reopened as part of its plan.

Whilst the Midlands Rail Hub, which was originally included in the Network North paper, does get a mention as an individual manifesto pledge, the West Yorkshire metro system was notably missing.

Despite warnings from experts and the Welsh government that the electrification of the North Wales Main Line would cost more than the £1 billion initially pledged, the Conservatives have included the project as a manifesto pledge and kept the cost at the originally quoted £1 billion.

As expected, the party has committed to completing HS2 from Birmingham to London Euston as well as pledging to create GBR, with its headquarters in Derby still. It has also provided a timeline for the introduction of the rail reform bill, with a pledge for it to be introduced in the first King’s Speech of the new parliament.

For rail freight, a pledge to support its growth has been included, although the pledge to grow rail freight by 75% by 2050 is not included.