Route for HS2 phase two confirmed

THE route for the second phase of the £56bn high speed rail line HS2, from Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to Leeds, has been confirmed by the Government.

The first phase of the railway is scheduled to open in December 2026 and will see trains travel at high speed between London and Birmingham before continuing on the existing West Coast Main Line.

A second Y-shaped phase, taking the high-speed line to Yorkshire, North-West England, and beyond, is due to be completed by about 2032-33.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “The full HS2 route will be a game-changer for the country that will slash journey times and perhaps most importantly give rail passengers on the existing network thousands of extra seats every day.”

The campaign group fighting against the major scheme, Stop HS2, said the announcement confirmed that the high speed railway would reduce existing intercity services to London by up to two trains an hour.

Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin said on the BBC ministers were “trying to con the public” that the high-speed line was needed to boost rail capacity.

“The government have finally come clean in admitting ‘freeing up capacity’ means for many cities ‘losing the trains you already have’, as the HS2 business case demands £8.3bn worth of cuts to existing services,” he said.

Penny Gaines, chair of Stop HS2, said the railway would not benefit the economies of the Midlands or the North of England.

“Anywhere where there are gaps in the line is continued uncertainty for people affected,” she said. “Phase 2 was announced in early 2013, and these people have been living in limbo for nearly four years.”

In June, the National Audit Office warned the HS2 project had an “unrealistic timetable” and faced major cost pressures.