People across Tatton are crying out for investment in trains and buses – money that could be found by scrapping HS2, an MP has told Government.
Tatton MP Esther McVey compared the cost of the scheme to a runaway train and demanded better services for her constituents.
Speaking in a debate about infrastructure in the North, Ms McVey said buses were nowhere to be seen, constituents stopped her when doing their shopping to talk about routes and raised problems of train users waiting two hours off peak.
She said: “It is hard to find a bus route and a bus in Tatton at the moment, people are crying out for buses, and while I know during the Covid period they are not necessarily on buses, they are going to be and we cannot get around from Wilmslow to Handforth and then travelling further afield.
“As for HS2 the cost is like a runaway train. The government is focussed on this single line and overlooking local lines so desperately needed. For instance people commuting from Knutsford to Manchester off peak at the moment are waiting for a train at the moment for two hours, it is one hour on peak and we were promised when the franchise was bid for we would have two trains an hour, not two a minute, but an hour, not a lot to ask for, not a huge amount of investment just two trains an hour.”
Ms McVey said at a time when Government has promised to level up, we need to start with our local transport services.
She also repeated her call for investment in the Mid Cheshire line, telling Government “we have been talking about it year after year” with MPs working cross party and raising the issue in every question time and debate but action was needed.
Ms McVey also wants to see money ploughed into ensuring the country has access to reliable broadband. She said digital infrastructure was vital and Government was right to promise a 1gb capability for the country and said stopping HS2 would free up money to deliver that digital connectivity and “our much needed local transport”.