THE UK Government has announced that funds from the scrapped HS2 northern line will be used to improve the A75 between Dumfries and Stranraer.
Billions of pounds earmarked for HS2 have been pledged to be redirected by Westminster to ‘build the daily connections that people depend on’.
Of the funding, £19.8 billion has been earmarked for the north of England, £9.6 billion for the Midlands, and £6.5 billion for the rest of the country – which includes the A75 project in Scotland.
This will see pinch points be solved on the A75 through the provision of better links between the Cairnryan ferry terminals serving southwest Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The UK Government said, “So, the Prime Minister has today drawn a line under the spiralling costs of delivering HS2 in full, in recognition of the changed economic context and modern transport demands. Instead, the redirected funding will deliver the vital transport links that people want and need to get to work, take their children to school, access doctors’ appointments and visit friends and family – connecting our great towns and cities while delivering real change to benefit the country and future generations.”
