Reactions to the cancellation of HS2 northern leg
The Government’s announcement that it has cancelled the northern leg of HS2 has been met with vociferous and unprecedented scorn from business leaders, politicians of all parties and transport professionals.
Here is a selection of some of comments:
Norman Baker, Campaign for Better Transport
“This ragtag and bobtail selection of bits and pieces – some of which no doubt have merit – will not compensate for the hammer blow that has been delivered today. By cancelling the Northern leg of HS2, the Prime Minister has taken much needed rail investment and ploughed it into yet more roads. The roads budget is already bloated, and today’s announcement simply diverts money from a sustainable transport future into unsustainable and unchecked traffic growth.
“The benefits of HS2 were set to go way beyond London. The case for HS2 was always built round capacity, not speed, so that problem will continue to exist on the already congested west coast main line and on the local lines that connect to it.
“We need more detail about what the transport projects that will replace the Northern leg of HS2 are and when they will actually be delivered. We also need to make sure that the PM is not double counting here as some of the schemes he mentioned have already been promised and are not new. What we do know is that ditching the Northern leg is not just a serious blow to the North of England and its people, but to the country as a whole.”
Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission
“High Speed 2 was part of a long term strategy with clear objectives to link up some of the country’s largest cities. It had been planned for almost 15 years and under construction since 2017.
“The decision to stop the legs north and east of Birmingham is deeply disappointing, leaving a major gap in the UK’s rail strategy around which a number of city regions have been basing their economic growth plans.
“A High Speed 2 route between Manchester and London via Birmingham, alongside Northern Powerhouse Rail, would have enabled increased capacity and better connectivity both north-south and east-west.
“While it is welcome that the money will be redirected into rail and other transport projects for the North and Midlands, it’s not yet clear how the collection of schemes will address the gap left behind by HS2.
“It will be for government to show it can turn the schemes into a coherent, long-term rail strategy and deliver it in a cost effective manner, in partnership with local leaders.”
“The cancellation of the northern section means less capacity for rail freight and ultimately more lorries on our roads”.
Maggie Simpson, Director General, Rail Freight Group
“Scrapping HS2 whilst still allowing trains to run on the existing network is the worst of all possible decisions. The West Coast Main Line simply does not have the capacity for these extra trains alongside current services and rail freight growth, and investment will now be required to upgrade the route to ensure all trains can be accommodated.”
“The private sector rail freight operators and customers who have already invested in new facilities and equipment also need urgent assurance that they will be able to access the rail capacity they need to bring new services onto rail.”
Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group
“Many of our member city regions have designed local transport schemes around the promise of larger infrastructure projects, whether HS2 or otherwise. Our members need the confidence that once schemes are announced, they are delivered. The same logic applies to the raft of transport projects unveiled by the Prime Minister today.
“Fundamentally, transport is about more than simply moving people from A to B. It is about creating economic growth and thriving communities for people to live and work in. This can only happen through certainty of long-term investment.”
Zoë Billingham, Director of IPPR North
“The government has played fast and loose with HS2 and scrapping the Manchester leg is a betrayal of the North.
“Transport is the backbone of rebalancing our regions. New promises to redeploy HS2 funding – across the whole country – not only undermines levelling up but also lacks credibility.
“Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 are in the long-term interest of the country. This is a double blow for the North.”
Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Executive
“The UK has incredible strengths as a destination for investment. When global boardrooms weigh up investment opportunities, the UK was always seen as a safe harbour due to our reputation for reliability. But the decision to cancel the rest of the HS2 project sends a damaging signal about the UK’s status as global destination for investment.
“Businesses and investors in the Midlands and the North have spent the last decade planning for the delivery of HS2. The commitment to invest in a new Network North programme of transport projects promises much needed investment to the region. But a ‘start from scratch’ approach risks leaving those businesses in a holding pattern of poor connectivity and low productivity whilst those projects are scoped, prepped and finally delivered.”
Julian Worth FCILT, spokesperson for CILT Strategic Rail Policy Group
“CILT is deeply disappointed at the cancellation of HS2 north of Birmingham and the negative consequences this is likely to have for the British economy and environment. The dramatic improvements in connectivity the North and Scotland would have seen cannot be delivered by alternative schemes and their economies will be significantly disadvantaged as a result.
“The rest of the world is forging ahead with construction of high-speed rail lines as the preferred way of improving infrastructure and decarbonising long-distance transport. It does not seem plausible that the current UK government is right to abandon high speed rail and that everyone else has it wrong.
“The climate crisis is worsening by the year and the need to decarbonise is becoming greater and more urgent. Net Zero 2050 remains an imperative and Government must not weaken long term commitments for short term expediency.
“This is particularly true with freight and logistics. Almost all large companies now have clear carbon reduction strategies, but decarbonising long distance road freight movements is extremely challenging. Battery HGVs will carry out local and regional distribution, but decarbonising trunk haulage by road is much more difficult.”
Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA)
“Many of the Railway Industry Association’s members will be extremely disappointed by the Government’s proposal. The Government cites cost as its main reason, yet it should be remembered that this was the Government’s own scheme, built to its own specifications, and that the chopping and changing of the scope and timing of the project – adding considerably cost and delay – was entirely of the Government’s own making. Every time the scheme is rescoped it increases the cost.
“Today’s nuclear option is defeatist and sends a terrible signal to potential overseas investors that the UK simply cannot deliver large national transport infrastructure schemes. Already, multinational railway businesses will be making plans to rationalise their workforces and investments in a way that will be detrimental to the country’s rail supply sector specifically and UK plc more widely. This also blows a hole in the Government’s levelling-up and decarbonisation agendas – none of the replacement regional schemes referred to will have the same impact of building HS2 in full.
Sir John Peace, Chairman of Midlands Connect
“We are disappointed and disheartened by the HS2 announcement. We must not start from scratch, we must work at pace to deliver HS2 Phase 1 all the way to Euston. There are also lessons to be learnt from the HS2 story so far.
“The Midlands Rail Hub and road programmes including the A5 which have been announced today resonate with us, these are our transformational East-West priorities for the region, which we recommended and have been progressing with Government.
“We are now calling for more detail on timescales and plan of action, and asking for a high-level urgent meeting with ministers, to ensure these plans and the benefits for the Midlands are delivered as quickly as possible.
“We will now work, like we always do, cross-party and in an open and collaborative way with all involved.”
“It’s undeniable that this will be seen by many as a missed opportunity for the region, and the country as a whole”.
Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North (TfN)
“The cancelling of the northern leg of HS2 is naturally disappointing. It’s undeniable that this will be seen by many as a missed opportunity for the region, and the country as a whole.
“The announcement of investment in the region is obviously welcome. And we will look to work with government to fully understand the implications for the North of the proposals set out today in the Prime Minister’s speech, and consult with our Board on the best way forward in light of this new change of policy. There are still quite a few areas that require further clarification from the Department for Transport, which we will be seeking from them.”
Marie-Claude Hemming, Director of Operations for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) said “This is a dark day for the UK economy, and for everyone who has placed trust in successive UK governments to level up the country and close the north-south divide.
“While the Prime Minister has promised to reinvest HS2 money in alternative schemes, we as an industry know how unlikely this will be to materialise and impact communities in anything like the game-changing way that high speed rail would have delivered.
“Britain now lags far behind our competitors and will remain so due to this short-sighted decision.
“That the UK Government can make such a decision without a democratic mandate – after the scheme has been supported by all parties throughout successive General Elections – frankly beggars belief.”
“The Prime Minister has taken much needed rail investment and ploughed it into yet more roads”