Rail industry groups outraged as HS2 Golborne link quietly scrapped

Local MPs opposed plan for 13-mile stretch of new track but industry says move is hugely disappointing'

A 3bn branch of the High Speed 2 network designed to speed up rail journeys between London and Scotland has been quietly ditched by ministers, provoking outrage from rail industry groups.

The change was announced on Monday evening as the result of the confidence vote in Boris Johnson was being determined. Three leading industry bodies said the decision to scrap the Golborne link would create a bottleneck for trains and negatively affect passengers and freight.