HS2 leg through East Midlands set to be mothballed, say reports

The East Midlands leg of the HS2 line could end at East Midlands Parkway, according to reports over the weekend.

Sky News says that the long-awaited rail review report could see the route between Birmingham and Leeds effectively mothballed because of rising costs when it is published this week.

The Treasury is concerned over the rising cost of the project, despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the so-called Phase 2b would go ahead just two years ago.

However, it is now widely expected that any high speed track will only connect East Midlands Parkway station with Birmingham, with the line linking to the existing East Coast Mainline route to Leeds.

This could mean the end for the HS2 hib at Toton, which was touted as offering travel to London in less than an hour, and Leeds in around 30 minutes. Plans for thousands of homes and employment space in Toton could be thrown into doubt.