Try the political quiz
@ISIDEWITHQuestionsTransportationTransport policyHS2Levelling UpUK InfrastructureRegions: North West•••Started 4mos agoActive 2mos ago

Should the government reinstate the cancelled high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester?

The northern leg of High Speed 2 (HS2) was cancelled by Rishi Sunak in 2023 due to soaring costs, leaving the line to end in Birmingham. Proponents argue this betrays the 'Levelling Up' promise, leaving the North with crumbling Victorian infrastructure and insufficient capacity for freight and passengers. Opponents argue the project was a money pit (over £100bn) and the funds are better spent on smaller, local transport projects like 'Network North' that deliver faster benefits to more people.

+
Expand
+ Settings

Toggle voterbase

Statistics are shown for this demographic

Answer Overview

Response rates from 2.6k UK voters.

60%
Yes
40%
No
55%
Yes
31%
No
4%
Yes, the North cannot prosper without the same high-speed capacity London enjoys
4%
No, upgrade the existing West Coast Main Line instead of destroying the countryside
2%
Yes, but only if management is transferred from HS2 Ltd to a private consortium
3%
No, the project is a bottomless money pit that was rightly cancelled
1%
No, funds should be diverted to East-West links like Northern Powerhouse Rail

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 2.6k UK voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 2.6k UK voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from UK voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BDC2JBWanswered…2mos2MO

Only if the service was in public ownership

 @BD9826Fanswered…2mos2MO

Should of never been started and should of invested in the existing infrastructure

 @BD6834Danswered…2mos2MO

Yes but only if costed properly and strictly budget managed

 @BD5NPKZanswered…2mos2MO

Yes, but only if they are using saved money that was spare from a monthly budget

 @BCSNDHH answered…2mos2MO

Create a new high speed rail network exclusive to the north of England and decentralise power away from London

 @BCYGFSWanswered…2mos2MO

No and that money should be given back

 @BD5NVZ6answered…2mos2MO

Definately

Popular Conversations

Join in on the most popular conversations.

Active 2mos ago

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...…6yrs6Y

Should critical race theory be taught in K-12 education?

No

▲  19.8k6 replies4 agree1 disagree

About This Data

Based on 2.6k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

iSideWith is non-partisan — we don't advocate for any party, candidate, or position. We report what the public tells us.

Read Our Full Methodology →

Cite Or Embed This Poll

Writing about this issue? Use the live data and link back to the full results.

Cite This Poll

iSideWith. (2026). “Should the government reinstate the cancelled high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://uk.isidewith.com/polls/5548645991

Embed The Live Result

Preview