HS2 has been hit by fresh chaos after No10 refused to rule out axing the northern leg of the shambolic project.
Ministers have already ditched the line East from Birmingham to Leeds amid spiralling costs. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham accused the Tories of making the “North pay for their failure” as HS2’s bill could top £106billion.
No10 failed to quash speculation Rishi Sunak is to axe the stretch from Birmingham to Manchester. It comes after the leg from Birmingham to Leeds was ditched, while cash continued to be lavished on the southern section, as experts warned HS2 could end up costing £106billion.
An official was photographed with documents showing the PM and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt held talks this week about cutting costs in the northern phase, despite already spending £2.3billion on it. Asked if the PM was committed to the line going to Manchester, his official spokesman said: “I can’t comment on the speculation that’s a result of a photograph.
“We are looking at the rephasing of the work in the best interests of passengers and taxpayers. It is standard process for departments to discuss the phasing of major projects like HS2. We are committed to HS2.” Northern leaders pointed to the investment in the South, such as the £18.9billion Crossrail programme that became the Elizabeth Line, linking Reading and Heathrow Airport to Essex and South East London.
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Tories are accused of bungling the project (PA)Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said axing the Birmingham to Manchester leg would leave the North with “Victorian infrastructure” while the South enjoys modern rail lines. He added: “Levelling up? My a***. The Government is guilty of gross mismanagement of HS2 and of making the North pay for their failure.
“Once again, passengers here are seen as second-class citizens. The North-South divide is no accident. It’s national policy.” Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “The Conservatives crashed the economy and now they want the North to pay the price. Their chaotic mismanagement has hit jobs, harmed growth, and cost taxpayers even more.”
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Former Tory Chancellor George Osborne added: “HS2 will transform connectivity to the North. And it would be a real, real tragedy if this government abandoned it. It’s a mistake.” The High Speed Rail Group said scrapping phase two would be a “disaster” for the North and the Midlands and the “ultimate U-turn”.
It added: “The Government needs to kill the speculation and commit to delivering the project as planned. The 30,000 people delivering HS2 deserve this. Our future generations deserve this. The North and Midlands deserve this.” Work is under way on the delayed first phase of HS2, which runs from the capital to Birmingham.
But it has been paused on the final stretch to Euston, so passengers will have to travel to and from Old Oak Common, West London, when the service finally begins between 2029 and 2033. Parts of the North West section have been delayed by two years. Ditching the northern leg could save up to £34billion but cash already spent is unlikely to be recoverable.
Mr Hunt tweeted in 2020, when not in Government: “No HS2 = no ambition for our country just when the whole world is looking at us.” Asked about those comments, the PM’s spokesman said: “We are committed to HS2. More broadly we will deliver across the UK and there’s a number of other ways that we are achieving that along with HS2.”
You’ve started so now finish, say passengers
Travellers at Manchester’s Piccadilly station said the project should not be scrapped at this late stage. Sarah Mansell, 29, an office administrator from Birmingham, said: “I don’t particularly like the HS2 project and I didn’t want it, but now it is a long way into it and should be completed. How much money has already been spent on it?”
Phoebe Watts, 20, a general manager from Birmingham, said: “I never wanted it in the first place because it goes by my house. It should never have been started but now it has, the Government should be committed to seeing it through. It is pointless stopping now but the money would have been better spent trying to utilise what tracks we already have and improve on those.”
Aimee Hodnett (STEVE ALLEN)
Phoebe Watts (STEVE ALLEN)Peter Newby-Rogers, 53, an IT professional from Leicester, said: “My parents hate it because where they live, they have been cut off. One of the main depots has been built close to where they live and it has cut them off from the main road junction. I think the Government has sold HS2 all wrong.
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“It should never have been about speed and knocking 20 minutes off a journey. It should have been about the extra capacity it would provide because that is what is needed.” Michael Riley, 32, a musician from London said: “It is essential for the economy’s infrastructure that HS2 is completed up to Manchester.
“However, how it has gone over budget and the delays are appalling. It needs to be finished now after all this time.” Aimee Hodnett, 31, an actress from London, said: “It has cost far too much money to just stop. Everyone needs to benefit from it, which is what the Government has said all along. If the public was told it would go all the way to Manchester, then that is what should happen.”
Double blow by No10 is just unthinkable
By Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership
Cancelling the second phase of HS2 would be a double blow for the North. As well as losing that link southwards – which in itself is a problem for connecting us to the Midlands or London – it would get rid of the most critical remaining section of the east-west Northern Powerhouse Rail plan.
This key part of the route between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport is vital for getting passengers from Liverpool across the Pennines – and cancelling the Northern bit of HS2 would leave a giant hole in the middle. HS2, designed to unite North and South, would end as a link between Ealing and Birmingham – the dearest part of the scheme with the poorest value for money.
It’s the definition of lose-lose. Having promised this investment as Chancellor, I believe the Prime Minister knows what damage this would do to his credibility. Which international investors would now trust us to keep a promise or rely on our ability to deliver tricky bits of infrastructure?
What about the fate of businesses expecting to provide British-made steel for the project? What about their workers or those in the construction supply chain? After years of work, not to mention the £2.3billion we’ve spent on planning and buying land for the Northern sections alone, to end up with nothing to show for it is almost unthinkable. It would be a betrayal that the Conservatives may come to regret.
HS2 mapTimetable of dither and delay
2009 HS2 first mooted by Labour. London to Birmingham will open by 2020. Estimated cost: £37.5billion.
2012 Tory-Lib Coalition Government take on idea, proposing two phases: London to Birmingham, then Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester. Due to open 2026.
2013 Concern as cost rises to £42bn.
2019 Project behind way schedule. Doubts £56bn budget will be enough.
2020 Independent estimate puts costs at over £100bn.
2021 Eastern leg to Leeds scrapped. Trains will now terminate at East Midlands Hub.
MAR 2023 Final stretch into London Euston delayed. Passengers will have to travel by Tube to and from Old Oak Common in west of capital. Parts of North West section delayed for two years to save money. First services now not expected to run before 2032 to 2036. Won’t extend to Manchester until 2040s.
JULY 2023 Infrastructure and Projects Authority give HS2 a “red” rating – unachievable in present form.
SEP 2023 Doubts surface over Birmingham to Manchester leg.
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