Speed up northern HS2 links, say MPs
AN INFLUENTIAL committee of MPs has called for work on the Leeds and Manchester legs of the HS2 high-speed rail project to be speeded up.
The current plan is that the first phase of HS2 will link London and Birmingham via 225mph trains. Work is due to start on the project in 2016 and the line is due to be operational by 2026. Fast train links to Leeds and Manchester would then be built as phase two of the project which is due to complete in 2032.
However, the Commons Transport Committee said serious thought should be given to building the two phases at the same time.
It said incoming HS2 Ltd chairman Sir David Higgins should report to ministers by the end of next year “on options for speeding up HS2 so that trains run north of Birmingham on high-speed routes well before 2032-33”.
The committee gave its backing to the HS2 high-speed rail project, saying it is essential for the UK’s future.
It said potential gains significantly outweigh potential risks and that the estimated cost of up to £50bn had been exaggerated, leading opponents to think ministers were offering a “blank cheque”.
The cost of the project in its entirety is estimated at £42.6bn, with £7.5bn needed for rolling stock. Of the £42.6bn, a total of £14.56bn is contingency.
The committee said: “The Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) communications about HS2 should emphasise that the estimated cost is £28bn, not £50bn, and that cost increases to date have largely been due to the decision to undertake more tunnelling and other work to mitigate the impact of the project on people living near the route.”
On a more critical note, the committee said it remained concerned about how Heathrow would be incorporated into phase one and what impact including a stop at the airport would have on the budget.
The Stop HS2 group dismissed the committee’s report as cheerleading whitewash.
The High Speed Rail Bill is currently before Parliament.
