‘End of the line’ for HS2’s multibillion-pound ‘essential’ Eastern leg

The eastern leg of HS2, linking Birmingham with Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds, looks set to be mothballed in a bid to save £40bn.

Initially, the rail project was predicted to cost £32.7bn but this has soared to £107.7bn over the last nine years, according to weekend news reports.

It is expected that ditching the eastern leg, due to open by 2033, would save the Treasury around £40bn.

But critics have said that cancelling the eastern route undermines Boris Johnson’s election promise to “level up” the economy.

A Whitehall source told The Mirror: “They might make some announcement about doing the work in the future but everyone involved in this knows the truth.

“They have run out of cash. There’s no way we’re going to see this built in our lifetimes.”

The source added: “It shows exactly how serious the Tories have been about levelling up all along.”

However, The Department for Transport said “no decisions” had been finalised.

It said: “The Integrated Rail Plan will soon outline exactly how major rail projects, including HS2 phase 2b will work together to deliver the reliable train services the North and Midlands deserve.”

Construction on the Birmingham to Manchester leg is set to continue despite being around £30bn over budget.

The first phase linking London to Birmingham is also going ahead, with costs spiralling to roughly £70bn.

The headlines around the easter leg follows West Midlands mayor, Andy Street telling the Transport Select Committee in Birmingham last month that he had his own doubts on the delivery of that part of the project.

He said: ” I am realistic that there will probably be a serious delay in the easter leg of 2b. I believe the Government will still commit to doing it but will not be specific about timing.”

He added that in order for HS2 to deliver the repayment benefit of its first leg, the whole Y-shaped scheme needed to be completed.

Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership who was quoted over the weekend saying that a number of advisors in Whitehall had “never liked” the project agreed with Street’s earlier comments about the projects economic benefits. He stated: “Without the western and eastern legs to Manchester and Sheffield and on to Leeds as well as into the north-east of England, the whole of HS2 will be undermined in achieving its full economic benefits.”

Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, added: “The government cannot talk about levelling up and a commitment to the north without addressing the decades of underinvestment across our transport networks.

“The eastern leg of HS2 is essential to providing the rail services that work for our communities, as part of a joined-up transport system that connects people to better jobs, better education, and more opportunities.”