Senior ministers are reported to be protesting at the prospect of HS2 north of Birmingham being axed by the Prime Minister. The announcement of the cost-cutting measure is said to be likely just days before the Conservative Party conference begins in Manchester on Sunday. The Independent alleges that transport secretary Mark Harper is ‘very unhappy’ about the plan, along with levelling up secretary Michael Gove. If so, they will be agreeing with former chancellor George Osborne and ex-Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine, who have already said cutting Phases 2a and 2b would be a ‘gross act of vandalism’ which would amount to ‘economic self-harm’.
Increase in leisure travel prompts longer Sunday trains
LNER is strengthening its Sunday services from December, in response to a 30 per cent increase in the number of passengers travelling at the weekend. Three more trains will run, two between Leeds and London and one to and from Doncaster. Eight existing Sunday trains serving Leeds, Harrogate or Lincoln will be formed of nine or 10-car Azuma sets instead of five.
Disruption warning on Great Eastern line
Weekend train services in Essex and central London will be disrupted from next month until early December, as work continues on the construction of Beaulieu Park station in Chelmsford. Replacement buses will run between Chelmsford and Witham, Shenfield or Shenfield on either Saturdays or Sundays between 8 October and 10 December. There will be a two-day engineering possession with no services running on 28 and 29 October between Shenfield and Witham. In addition, the Elizabeth Line will be closed on Sunday 8 October east of Paddington, on the Shenfield and Abbey Wood routes. More details from Greater Anglia.