Eastern leg of HS2 a ‘golden thread’ boosting Northern business say bosses

A report published today by HS2 East highlights the economic importance to both England and Scotland of pressing ahead with the Eastern leg of HS2 – in “full and to the fastest possible timescales”.

The report shows how the proposed Eastern leg, which runs from Birmingham through the East Midlands and Sheffield to Leeds, could also boost economic growth in the North East of England and Scotland.

‘HS2 East: connecting potential, driving growth’ assesses the economic benefits that would result by using the eastern leg of HS2 as the basis for a high speed route to Scotland – connecting 15 million people, six major UK cities and an economy worth £320bn.

The report will be launched at an HS2 East event in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with key note speakers including Sir David Higgins, executive chairman of HS2 Ltd.

Sir David Higgins, chairman of HS2 Ltd, said: “HS2 will transform journey times – and therefore connectivity – not just to London, but also between our towns, cities and regions.

“To make the most of that it is vital that the Eastern leg as a whole works together to maximise the return at both a local and a national level, and to do so now as the government prepares to finalise the route in the autumn. That HS2 East will do.”

Cllr Jon Collins, co-chair of HS2 East, said: “The eastern leg of HS2 has the potential to improve connectivity to the cities of the north east of England and bring Scotland and England closer together.

“It could become the ‘golden thread’ that unifies the economies of the great towns and cities of the Midlands, the north of England and Scotland.

“An eastern route to Scotland reaches more people and bigger economies than the alternatives, so the economic benefits will be greater.”

HS2 East represents the cities, towns and regions along the eastern leg of the HS2 route, currently linking Birmingham to Leeds.

The report states that connecting high speed services to Scotland via an upgraded East Coast Main Line will bring a substantial total economic uplift of £717m to the UK economy annually, with £500m of this benefit generated outside London.

Full delivery of the eastern leg with this link would also help to free up capacity across the network, benefiting regional rail connectivity and boosting the economies of communities on and off the route

 

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