‘Concessions’ on HS2 Scottish link

SCOTTISH transport minister Keith Brown claimed he had won “concessions” at a meeting yesterday with his UK counterpart to speed up work on extending the planned high-speed rail line HS2 to Scotland.

The Glasgow meeting followed the UK government approving on Tuesday the £33 billion line as far as Manchester and Leeds by 2033, after reaching Birmingham in 2026. Mike Penning said discussions over Scotland were at a “very early stage.”

Mr Brown said: “Mike Penning has agreed that HS2 will engage with the Scottish Government with immediate effect on plans for a line beyond Birmingham. Discussions will get under way to discuss the detail much sooner than would otherwise have been the case.”