Reduced HS2 seats could force Government to discourage travel
The cancellation of HS2’s northern leg might force the government to discourage rail travel between Birmingham and Manchester due to reduced passenger capacity on trains.
A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) indicates that new HS2 trains on existing tracks will have fewer seats than current services, potentially reducing capacity between these cities by 17%.
To manage demand, the government might encourage travel at different times or suggest alternative modes of transport.
Adapting existing stations for longer HS2 trains is also being considered, but this could be costly and disruptive. While improving or adding infrastructure is another option, it also presents financial and logistical challenges.
The NAO report also highlighted that £592m had already been spent on land and property for the now-cancelled parts of the route. The decision to only proceed with the section between London and the West Midlands was made last October by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Labour criticised the Conservative management of HS2, calling the cost overruns and mismanagement reckless.
The report also triggered a furious response from rail campaigners and passenger groups.
Silviya Barrett, from Campaign for Better Transport, said: “At a time when we need to encourage more people to take the train, it beggars belief that the public might be discouraged to travel with even higher fares and fewer seats. The severely curtailed HS2 project has now turned into a complete shambles that needs to be urgently addressed. For the sake of current and future generations, the Government must consider the best way to expand rail capacity and improve connectivity, from Manchester to central London as originally intended, whether high speed or not.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham urged the new Labour government to halt land sales and build a new line to the Midlands, he said: “The idea that we are going to make rail services worse by the middle of the century is a complete non-starter – a different plan is needed. This is an urgent problem that needs a coherent solution.
“No-one is talking about going back to HS2, but there has to be additional capacity between the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. This could be done through expanding and upgrading the West Coast Main Line, although the NAO warns that this would be very disruptive. I see a new, lower-cost, dedicated line as the only real solution.
“It would therefore be a mistake for the government to have a fire sale of the land it has bought to build HS2. Around £600m has already been spent, there is no way the government would recover that value. The best thing is to use that land to pave the way for the new line.”
