So HS2 north of Birmingham is no more, it has ceased to be, it is an ex-project. In its place, the Department for Transport has published its ‘Network North’ policy paper, which is described as ‘A £36 billion plan to improve the transport that people use every day’. It promises that, “Projects could include more trams for Blackpool, more electric buses in Harrogate, and better bus-rail interchange in Scarborough.” You won’t find a mention of Whitby.
Genuinely low carbon, sustainable transport options would be good. The rail network has forgotten Whitby, North Yorkshire Council, as the accountable transport and highways authority, is not fighting for Whitby. We can shout loudly from the mouth of the River Esk, but the levers of control are beyond our grasp. Are we waiting for a York and North Yorkshire Mayor in 2024 to spread the jam thinly from the East Coast Main Line and the A1 to the eastern edge of Yorkshire? HS2 was never about us.