The final report of the Government’s Union Connectivity Review, led by Sir Peter Hendy, was published today, and can be found at Union Connectivity Review (publishing.service.gov.uk).
The report recognises the important role of rail, and includes the recommendation that the Government should “upgrade the West Coast Main Line north of Crewe to improve journey times and capacity and to enable HS2 to better serve connectivity between Scotland and England”, as well as other improvements which relate to the WCML.
The supporting social research undertaken by Ipsos MORI shows that 51% of the UK public say that train services and stations should be given the highest priority for union connectivity improvements.
West Coast Rail 250’s response to the earlier call for evidence stressed the importance of the West Coast Main Line in connecting England, Scotland and Wales, and emphasised the need for continued investment in the line.