Transport secretary Chris Grayling (pictured) has backed the controversial HS2 rail project after speculation it could be scrapped due to high costs.
The new minister, who was appointed in Theresa May’s cabinet reshuffle, said he had no plans to “back away” from the high-speed rail line - projected to cost £56 billion.
“The thing that’s important for people to understand is that HS2 is not simply a speed project, it’s a capacity project,” he said in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend programme.
“We have lines at the moment which have seen huge increases in the number of passengers. The West Coast Mainline, for example, is becoming really congested. It’s limiting the capacity of services to places like Northampton and Milton Keynes.”
He added: “Of course, it makes sense if we’re going to build a new railway line for it be a fast line, to reduce travel times from north to south – that’s logical. But actually we need a better transport system for the 21st century, and HS2 is part of increasing the capacity of our transport system.”
The current HS2 project, which has come under fire from both political sides, would link London to Birmingham by 2026, with tracks to cities in the north of England including Leeds and Manchester, built by 2030.
Once complete, journey times will fall by an hour from London to Manchester, by 53 minutes from London to Glasgow and by 65 minutes from Birmingham Curzon Street to Leeds.
Runway capacity
Also in the interview Grayling said he wants to “move rapidly” on a decision on airport expansion.
“I am very clear that I want to move rapidly with a decision on what happens on airport capacity. It is a decision that will be taken collectively by the government.
“We have a quasi-judicial role so I’m not going to say today whether I prefer Gatwick or Heathrow. There’s two options at Heathrow. I’m going to look at this very carefully in the coming weeks.”
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