HS2 is more than a railway says boss

THE boss of HS2 says the new £50bn route is “more than a railway”, and will be “a catalyst for growth for Britain”.

Simon Kirby, who was speaking at an event in Manchester where a blueprint for the creation of powerful new strategic transport body for the north was unveiled by the think tank IPPR, said the 20-year HS2 project would be a “step change for infrastructure” with significant legacy benefits in terms of jobs and skills.

“We will deliver it on time and on budget but the success of the scheme will be judged by the economic growth it delivers,” he said, pledging 25,000 jobs during the construction phase, which runs from 2017 to 2025 in phase one, and 10,000 more in the supply chain.

He said the current clamour around improving East-West connectivity had been sparked by the HS2.

“HS2 has created opportunities for debate which cities in the north and Midlands have grabbed.”

Kirby, who was brought up on the Wirral and lives in Cumbria when not required in London, said there is a two-speed economy, with London was powering forward while other regions are not living up to their economic potential.

“We want HS2 to be a catalyst for growth and integrated with ports in Liverpool and Hull – and there is a huge exercise in planning going on now, which has created new opportunities for strategic debate in the North. There is a political consensus on this which I have not seen before.

He said too that by 2026 – when the London to Birmingham route is completed –  millions of passengers from the North will be able to access high speed rail connectivity and a “level of service” not seen before.