‘Build HS2 to North’ more quickly says report

HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins is calling for work on the northern section of the high-speed rail project to be started earlier so that the predicted delivery date of 2032 could be brought forward by five years.

Mirroring comments made by business secretary Vince Cable over the weekend, Sir David’s new report to the Government – called HS2 Plus – also said the line north of Birmingham, which splits in a Y shape before heading to Leeds and Manchester should be extended by 43 miles to Crewe where a new hub would be built.

But, with an eye to cost saving, Sir David questioned whether a planned £500m link between HS2 and the HS1 Channel Tunnel route is viable.

The first phase of HS2 is scheduled to link Birmingham and London by 2026 with work starting in 2017.

Under the existing plans for phase two, tracks to cities including Leeds and Manchester would be built by 2032 or 2033.

The projected cost of the project is about £43bn but this estimate does not include the trains, which will cost about £7bn.

Sir David said HS2 was “vital for the future of the country” and that it could be “a catalyst for fundamental change”.

If his plans to speed up phase two were adopted, he said, “it would deliver the benefits of HS2 – in terms of better services to the north – much sooner”.

The response to Sir David’s report from business leaders has been largely positive.

Katja Hall, CBI chief policy director, said:  “This report will help build confidence in the budget, delivery and benefits of HS2.

“The best way to keep a lid on costs is to move to the construction stage quickly and we would urge politicians on all sides of the House to get behind this important project.

“HS2 will connect eight of our ten largest cities and boost local economies along the route, and the proposed interchange at Crewe is particularly good news for the north.

Commenting in advance of Sir David Higgins’ presentation in Manchester laater today, former Labour Business Secretary Lord Mandelson told  opposition group HS2 Action Alliance that the project is a “cruel joke” on the North.

Lord Mandelson said: “The faster connection between London and Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds – assuming these eventual links are ever built – will not regenerate the North but funnel people, business and spending into London and the South. It will be easier for people in London to take day trips North and not even stay over night when they have done their business.
 
“Meanwhile, transport links in the Midlands and North are starved of  investment and crying out for improvement. If it were possible for people and businesses to connect up between Northern cities and travel to work areas this would hugely boost economic activity and employment. By ignoring this investment gap and blowing tens of billions instead on a high speed link serving London’s needs, the government is delivering a blow to the North not building a bridge to its regions.”