Northern leaders call for government to commit to HS2 in full as axe hovers over eastern leg
Politicians and business leaders in the north-east of England have said that the eastern leg of HS2 to Leeds is essential to “levelling up” the country after reports emerged that the extension was set to be mothballed.
A new report from the High Speed Rail Group called the delivery of the leg from Birmingham to Leeds a “once in a generation opportunity to rebalance the UK’s economy”.
It added that scrapping the leg in favour of delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), a programme of upgrades to better connect cities like Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, and York, was a “false choice”.
“It was not a choice between Crossrail and HS2 for the south, and so it cannot be a choice between HS2 and NPR for the north”, the report said.
It comes after the FT reported that the leg – phase 2b of the controversial project – was set to be cut in a bid to save £40bn.
Since its inception the entire project’s costs have spiralled to nearly £100bn.
Government officials said that the “astronomical cost” of the project was behind the pressure to scrap phase 2b, with the Treasury eager to rein in spending after the damage done to the public finances by the pandemic.
The Department for Transport said that no decisions over the fate of the extension had yet been taken.
“The Integrated Rail Plan will soon outline exactly how major rail projects, including HS2 phase 2b and other transformational projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, will work together to deliver the reliable train services that passengers across the north and Midlands need and deserve,” it said in a statement.
Any attempt to scrap the eastern leg of HS2 will encounter fierce opposition from regional MPs, as today’s report showed.
Paul Howell, Tory MP for Sedgefield in Durham, said: “The important word in the ‘levelling up’ agenda is the word ‘up’. We need everyone to be going ‘up’, but some might just need more help.
“We shouldn’t disadvantage growth in the south to help the north. We have regional strength, most notably manufacturing, which should be supported ahead and could play a key role in projects including HS2.”
And Ben Bradley, Tory MP for Mansfield, told the FT: “If you’re not levelling up the north east and East Midlands through HS2 what are you going to do?”
Business leaders were also adamant that the project should be completed in full. Paul Hirst, chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership Transport Committee, said:
“Securing high speed rail is a huge vote of confidence for the region, acting as a spur for regeneration and growth at a moment when we are emerging from the biggest economic disruption in a generation.
“HS2 is at the heart of the growth strategies of West Yorkshire and the Sheffield City Region, which aims to provide more than £70bn to those economies.”
According to the report, over £500m of investment has already poured into Leeds as a result of the project, with the Leeds City Region predicting that the link will create 40,000 jobs in the area.