Government urged to commit to HS2’s eastern leg

Council leaders and businesses along HS2’s proposed eastern leg are calling for the Government to commit to progressing it at the same time as the western leg.

They say this would aid economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak, while providing towns and cities with much-needed capacity and connectivity improvements.

The HS2 East group also warns any delay to progressing the line’s construction will critically undermine both investor confidence in towns and cities and the Government’s plan to ‘level up the country’.

HS2 East represents cross-party political leaders, alongside businesses and organisations, following the eastern leg’s proposed route – Leeds, Sheffield and the East Midlands.

It is led jointly by Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake, and leader of Nottinghamshire County Council Cllr Kay Cutts.

HS2 East’s statement comes ahead of the deadline for evidence submissions to National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) to inform their Rail Needs Assessment for the North and Midlands.

From this, the Government will develop an integrated rail plan which will identify the best way to deliver HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail, Midlands Engine Rail and other rail investments. The integrated rail plan is expected to be published by the end of the year.

Although the Government has previously committed to delivering HS2 Phase 2B, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Engine Rail, the HS2 Minister announced plans to continue with the Hybrid Bill legislation as soon as is practical on the HS2 Phase 2B Western leg into Manchester, but without providing a timetable for the same legislation needed to commence the eastern leg.

HS2 East says lack of clarity around the timetable for the eastern leg has led to concerns over when the route and its significant economic benefits will begin to be delivered.

The group says key benefits of the eastern leg of HS2 include:

• Providing an economic benefit which is more than double that of the western leg.
• Serving 20% of the UK’s population and jobs.
• Transforming connectivity between towns and cities across the Northern Powerhouse and the east of the country.
• Unlocking local and regional capacity problems, including being the only credible, developed plan to address East Coast Main Line capacity.
• Supporting efforts to create a zero carbon economy through reducing emissions and moving more freight from road to rail.
• Significant economic and productivity benefits for Scotland, as a result of much quicker and improved links between Edinburgh and northern cities including Leeds and Newcastle.
• Acting as a driver to attract major businesses to towns and cities along the route.

Cllr Blake said: “HS2 together with Northern Powerhouse Rail and Transpennine Route Upgrade will unlock the capacity and connectivity challenges the Leeds City Region faces, along with an economic benefit of £54bn by 2050.

“For every year the eastern leg of HS2 is delayed, the Leeds City Region alone would suffer a loss of £1.7bn while still relying on rail infrastructure built more than 100 years ago. Without progressing the eastern leg of HS2, our regions are being left behind.

“As we continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government must commit to building the eastern leg of HS2 at the same time as the western leg, boosting our economic recovery and our long-term resilience, and creating a genuine shift towards the climate agenda.”