It’s being suggested the future of several prestige transport projects, including are in “increasing doubt” after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak failed to commit to building the northern section of the HS2 high-speed rail line to Manchester.
The Guardian reports MPs and transport industry experts now believe that a number of other schemes, including the Lower Thames Crossing and a new tunnel under the Stonehenge world heritage site, face more delays and may never be built as costs soar and political commitment wanes.
The paper says that over the weekend, the Department for Transport refused to commit to pressing ahead with the Lower Thames Crossing, which the report says “has costs per mile way above those of the HS2 high-speed rail line because of the proportion that involves tunnelling”.
The Guardian adds that Conservative MP Danny Kruger, who was recently selected as the party’s candidate for the new East Wiltshire constituency, which will include Stonehenge, has written a less-than fully supportive article on his website about the A303 tunnelling project.
(Picture – National Highways)
