The Prime Minister has confirmed that HS2 will proceed, delivering essential North-South connectivity, greater capacity and shorter journey times, with construction for Phase 1 from London to the West Midlands set to begin in April.

First Trenitalia operates West Coast Partnership Development and is the 'Shadow Operator' to the HS2 programme, responsible for designing, developing and mobilising high speed service operations.

Steve Montgomery, Managing Director, First Rail said:

“HS2 is all about linking the great cities of Britain with enough rail capacity to cope with ever-increasing passenger numbers. There are no other practical or equivalent ways to add the capacity we need. We’re delighted the Government has made this decision.”

Interactive HS2 Route Map click here

The decision to proceed with HS2 comes alongside a pledge of £5 billion investment in local bus and cycle links, with a five-year funding package

The package of investment will boost bus services by focusing on a range of priorities, set to include:

Higher frequency services, including evenings and weekends, to make it easier and less restrictive for people to get around at any time of day

More ‘turn up and go’ routes where, thanks to higher frequency, people won’t have to rely on timetables to plan journeys

New priority schemes will make routes more efficient, so that buses avoid congested routes and can speed passengers through traffic

More affordable, simpler fares

At least 4,000 new Zero Emission Buses to make greener travel the convenient option, driving forward the UK’s progress on its net zero ambitions

Giles Fearnley, Managing Director, First Bus said:

“We are pleased that there is a growing realisation at all levels of government that the bus has a huge role to play in achieving social and environmental ambitions and improving local economies.

We are committed to working closely with local and regional governments to tackle congestion, so we can provide bus services which help meet air quality targets and strengthen connectivity.

We welcome the announcement of a significant tranche of funding for regional bus links and look forward to seeing more detail of how this will be delivered in the National Bus Strategy to be published later this year."

Cubria have withdrawn support for rural bus routes. Western Dales Bus is run by volunteers and runs regular services, giving a lifeline to residents in country areas

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