Up to 25 million miles of new bus routes to be funded by HS2 money

Up to 25 million miles of new bus services are to be introduced with cash freed up from scrapping the Manchester leg of HS2.

Ministers said that £150 million in funds reallocated from the high-speed rail network would help councils across the North and Midlands offer cheaper fares, provide more regular and reliable services and create new routes to loop in poorly connected areas.

It marks the start of the Government’s £36 billion “Network North” plan to replace the axed Birmingham-Manchester line, which will help fund other transport projects across the region, such as an east-west rail link and a tram network in Leeds.

Rishi Sunak said that ministers were “backing buses” to ensure the country’s “favourite means of transport” was more affordable for millions of people.

“Today’s announcement marks the start of the Network North plan coming into action,” he said.

“This Government is taking the right long-term decisions to deliver on our vision for a fairer and improved transport system by investing billions back into the transport projects that matter most to people and their communities.”

It will be up to local authorities working with operators to decide exactly how the money is spent, but ministers said that it would be enough to support up to 25 million miles of new bus services.

That could mean reintroducing an evening offer or increasing the frequency of buses on busy routes, officials said.

Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, said that the investment “has only been possible with the redirected HS2 funding secured by this Government making the right long-term decisions for a brighter future”.

He added: “Buses are the most popular form of public transport, which is why we are continuing to back our buses with record high levels of funding – supporting vital bus services and offering affordable travel for passengers.”

The largest single allocation is about £16.6 million for the West Midlands Combined Authority, while £16.3 million will go to Greater Manchester and almost £13.4 million to West Yorkshire.

The “Get Around For £2” bus fare cap scheme will also be extended until the end of 2024, despite having been set to rise to £2.50.

This too is “thanks to the redirected HS2 funding behind the new Network North plan”, the Department for Transport said.

Meanwhile, “lifesaver” community services for older people and vulnerable passengers will receive a 60 per cent funding boost through the bus service operators grant.

Mr Sunak unveiled his “Network North” transport project at the Tory conference earlier this month, when he announced controversial plans to slash a significant portion of HS2.

He called the high-speed line the “ultimate example of the old consensus” and said that the economic case for the project had “massively been weakened”.

Mr Sunak said: “I say to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed and the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction.

“And so I am ending this long-running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project and in its place we will reinvest every single penny, £36 billion in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, across the country.”

He said that the projects would include new electrified rail lines to provide faster connections between northern cities.