Sixteen new train stations and 250 miles of rail lines that would benefit millions of passengers are on the list of projects at risk of being scrapped as Labor tries to plug a £22 billion black hole. The independent can reveal.
The full list of 36 schemes includes some where work has already started as part of Boris Johnson’s now dumped £500m Restoring Your Railways (RYR) initiative.
The north of England and the south-west are the areas that will be worst hit if all plans in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ autumn budget are scrapped, including the long-awaited Portishead-Bristol line and the much-delayed White Rose station in Leeds. those at risk.
The Chancellor announced in July that Labor would cancel the RYR scheme, but individual schemes would be reconsidered in a review by transport secretary Louise Haigh, in a bid to save £85m.
Ms Haigh previously mentioned Rishi Sunak’s decision to scrap the HS2 leg between Birmingham and Manchester – first revealed by The independent – ‘a great betrayal’, but now finds herself wielding the axe.
Responding to the revelations, Stephen Goss of the Campaign for Better Transport called them “a step backwards”.
“We were very disappointed by the announcement because Labor had promised before the election that they would get Britain moving,” he said.
“So when it was announced that they were cutting the fund, which is aimed at expanding the rail network, it seemed like a regression from what they had promised and proposed.”
The Fleetwood railway line and stations at Deeside, Haxby, Edginswell, St Clears and Thorpe Park (Leeds) are also being considered.
Most projects are located in the North, with 16 railway lines and five stations. This is followed by the South West, where six lines and eight stations have been compromised.
Speaking in July, Ms Reeves said only those projects that had “not yet started” would be cancelled. Despite this, a number, which have undergone significant work, are listed as being considered for demolition.
Even Wellington Station, which Ms Reeves previously assured Lib Dem MP Gideon Amos in the House of Commons would not be cancelled, is on the list.
Also included is White Rose Station in Leeds, where construction work has already started. Planning documents for the scheme predict it would enable 343,000 journeys through the station per year and increase the number of jobs in the area by 10,000.
The White Rose project was managed by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), next to Leeds Thorpe Park station, and both received funding from the RYR programme.
A 2022 update from the Department for Transport and Network Rail on the plan said both projects were “being delivered”.
The DfT has confirmed that all 36 rail projects are still being considered in its internal review, but says those in the delivery phase will continue.
However, the WYCA says it does not expect further funding from the department for the two train stations, but adds that it plans to continue with its own funding or money previously received.
There has also been opposition to the likely cancellation of the Portishead-Bristol line, a long-demanded plan that has suffered repeated setbacks. The project requires just over five kilometers of new track, but without financing its future is once again uncertain.
Sadik Al-Hassan, MP for North Somerset, said: “For years this railway line has been promised, and no real money has ever been put into it to actually guarantee its delivery.
“I am working with my Cabinet colleagues, knocking on every door and engaging in discussions with key decision makers, to ensure that our Government understands how important this project is in North Somerset and for local people.”
“I am optimistic that this crucial project will eventually see the light of day.”
The approved business case submitted by the council estimates that passenger demand for the station would be 958,980 in its opening year, rising to 1,295,103 per year by 2036.
Mr Goss said: “There are many communities across the country that are effectively isolated due to the lack of a rail link, and with the cuts to bus services over the last decade they are even more isolated.”
He called the £85 million savings Ms Reeves plans to make “a drop in the bucket”, pointing to much more effective cuts choices.
“If you compare the rail network as it currently exists between the South East and the North, it is ridiculous what people in the North are expected to face in terms of connectivity,” he said.
“Time and time again, both the Conservatives and Labor have promised them better connectivity and public transport.”
He added: “It appears Labor is not delivering on these promises, especially as they criticized the previous government for failing to deliver on them.”
Mr Goss says the success of the four completed RYR projects makes Ms Reeves’ announcement even more disappointing. In the four years since the announcement, two stations and two lines have been built under the fund.
Commenting on The Independent’s findings, shadow transport secretary Helen Whately said: “Our economy needs towns and cities in the north of England to be better connected. But for all their talk of growth, Labor doesn’t seem to get it.
“The new Northumberland line [soon to be completed RYR project] will bring jobs and opportunities to people in the North East. But Labour’s great train robbery looks set to replicate that in other areas.
“Worse, they didn’t mention these infrastructure cancellations even once during the election. New Labor MPs will be disappointed to discover that they have campaigned on false promises, as will their voters.”
A DfT spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving rail links in the north, investing in infrastructure that will boost economic growth and opportunity while delivering value for money for taxpayers.
“We will announce more details about this in due course.”