Speaking on May 20, newly-appointed Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said 'the government which we have just formed believes that rail has a critical role to play in the future of our country. We have a clear commitment to develop Britain's regional economies, we also have a clear commitment to healing our economy, and taking those two priorities together leads naturally to the conclusion that rail has a huge role to play in providing the infrastructure needs of our country. 'We were the first party to be committed to a high-speed rail network, and we will take that forward with a line initially to Birmingham, and then on to Manchester and Leeds as the first phase in a nationwide high-speed rail network', he said (p2).
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