Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for the Scottish economy of implementing the recommendations in High Speed Rail Group's report on extending HS2 upgrades beyond phase 2b.
The Government is committed to levelling-up the whole of the UK, including Scotland. In 2016, HS2 Ltd. made an early assessment of extending high speed lines into Scotland, taking into account the benefits for the region through reduced journey times as well as forecasted demand. At present, the Integrated Rail Plan for the Midlands and the North is, among other things, looking at delivering better rail connectivity to Scotland, considering economic arguments around how this can be achieved.