Fears grow for future of HS2 as man at the top admits he is about to get the sack

HS2 Phase Two

The man in charge of the HS2 project has revealed that he expects to be sacked within days.

Sir Terry Morgan, who was made chairman of the scheme four months ago, has also been involved in London’s Crossrail project for the past decade.

The £55.7bn HS2 scheme is designed to connect London to Birmingham and to Manchester and Leeds.The £15bn Crossrail project connects Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf has been delayed by nine months and is £600m over budget.

Sir Terry said: “I can only assume that because HS2 is such a critically important programme and with the sense of disappointment around the performance of Crossrail, that it was considered to be too risky for a programme like HS2 to continue in my role as chairman.

He added that he had “mixed feelings” – including a “sense of responsibility or contribution to the position in terms of Crossrail”.

He said HS2 is a “fantastic programme that has huge potential” – but it will be a big challenge to deliver it.

The news has come just a few days after an influential business organisation called on the Government to back HS2 amid growing fears that work could come to a halt at Birmingham.

The North West Business Leadership Team, which represents business leaders across the region, has written an open letter calling for action.

The letter said: “There has been much comment of late that business is currently failing to make the case for the completion of HS2 beyond Birmingham

“The scheme is a vital part of a wider strategy to drive economic growth in the North of England in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy and supporting the North West.

“This will complement growth in the South and will help to deal with growing motorway congestion by reducing over-dependence on car travel, and to free up capacity on the rail network to allow a greater transfer of freight to rail in order to reduce both congestion and emissions.

“The full approval by Government of Phase 1 of HS2, and indeed the commencement of on-the-ground preparatory work is very welcome.

“But we are aware that there has been recent vocal rear-guard opposition to the scheme by some prominent Members of Parliament and by certain sections of the media.

“HS2 has also been wrongly presented as an alternative to Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) whereas both are necessary if we are to fully unlock the economic, business and housing opportunities which exist in the North of England and the UK as a whole.

“We fully support the planning and construction of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) but this is dependent on HS2 being progressed too. NPR is being planned on the basis that HS2 will be built and will share infrastructure in certain locations. The two schemes are complementary.

“Transport connectivity is a major enabler in the development of that growth and both HS2 and NPR are fundamental to the ability to deliver it.

“While we are sure this isn’t under consideration, should the future of HS2 be put in doubt, after a decade of detailed planning, it would re-introduce uncertainty and planning blight in those intermediate communities that will have to accommodate the new route.

“If the scheme was deferred, or was even cancelled altogether, it would be inconceivable that the line of route would not still be reserved for future use, and so blight would be re-established but without the transport benefits or the present compensation arrangements. A lose-lose scenario.

“Based on this, we believe, as a voice of North West business, it is our responsibility to reassert our strong and unwavering support for the completion of HS2 – in full and the establishment of NPR.

“The potential for uncertainty to grow around Phase B of HS2 would be of serious detriment in itself to the Northern economy.

“If the project were delayed or cancelled the consequences would mean the jepordisation of promised future economic opportunity in the North and the loss of all political faith in the Government’s commitment to a Northern Powerhouse.

“That is why we have taken this opportunity to make our position clear, we will continue to support HS2 in its entirety both for the North and for the UK as a whole.”

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