TSSA Backs 'Vital' House of Lords HS2 Eastern Leg Motion

TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has given strong backing to a motion in the House of Lords this afternoon calling on the Government to build the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project beyond Birmingham.

The cross-party motion is being moved by Labour Peer, Lord Adonis and would require HS2 to run from London to Birmingham and on through to Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds.

The motion calls for Ministers to legislate for the eastern leg of the project within the next six months.

Commenting, Cortes said: “It’s absolutely vital that the Government gives a clear signal that it is backing the eastern leg of HS2, there should be no more delay. Our union supports this motion because we know how important these high speed rail links are to the future of our country.

“We’ve heard a great deal from Boris Johnson and others about levelling up and it’s now time for them to act. The eastern leg of the project - across the East Midlands to Yorkshire - must be given approval by Government and the sooner the better.

“This is a golden opportunity which we can’t afford to miss. HS2 will bring much needed capacity to our creaking rail infrastructure, create thousands of jobs and boost investment in green transport.

“For HS2 to meet its full potential it must not end with the completion of the eastern leg but go all the way to Scotland. I trust Ministers will listen today and take the right course of action.”