Controversial HS2 railway will link eight out of 10 of Britain's largest cities, new report says

The controversial High Speed 2 rail project will link eight out of 10 of Britain’s largest cities and regions, a new report claims.

High Speed 2 (HS2) is the proposed new high-speed railway directly connecting Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and London, funded by taxpayers across the UK. HS2 is being designed to operate initially at 360 kilometres per hour, faster than any other train in the world.

Entitled ‘Why Britain needs HS2’, the High Speed Rail Industry Leaders’ report has been developed as a submission to the government as it considers future spending priorities, saying the project is an “essential part of bringing Britain back together.”

High Speed Rail Industry Leaders represents companies with relevant experience and an interest in high speed rail.

The report outlines how the project will deliver improved rail services to far more towns and cities than expected, including Rochdale, which the report says will benefit from direct rail connections to HS2 hub stations.

Key findings from the report say the service is ‘essential’ to achieving net zero emissions as a two-hour high speed rail journey results in “90% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with flying the same route” and is “crucial” to tackling overcrowded trains on the north-south railways.

Findings also say the north-south divide will be ‘smashed’ whilst ‘reducing the 40% productivity gap between London and the north’.

On the issue of costs, the report finds that the project will only amount to 0.4% of public spending, and that the costs are comparable to the £50bn+ that the fuel duty freeze has cost the public purse since 2010.

According to the BBC, organisers say HS2 will reportedly deliver a £92bn boost to the UK economy, and that for every £1 spent, the country will receive £2.30 in benefits.

However, a report from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee earlier this year also said it was "far from convinced" the new high-speed railway will be built within the £55.7bn budget, saying the project should not go ahead without a new assessment of its costs and benefits.

The committee recommended combining with Northern Powerhouse Rail and treating it as one programme, allowing for investment “to be prioritised where it is most needed” as “the costs of HS2 appear to be out of control.”

Sir Terry Morgan, former Chairman of HS2 and Crossrail, told the committee that "nobody knows" what the final cost will be, with the committee expressing concern that if the costs of the London-Birmingham section overrun, the northern sections may not be built.

This supports claims made by Stop HS2, the national grassroots campaign against the project, which says that HS2 is in trouble.

Joe Rukin, Campaign Manager, said: "The only reason HS2 has ever got this far is because the very firms that want to be paid billions to build it have thrown millions into lobbying for it. The reality is that it is in real trouble right now, so they are panicking and throwing even more money to convince people to support it.

“Surely it will come of no surprise to anyone that what is an industry lobbying cartel try and convince people that their vested interest is actually the national interest."

However, chairman of local rail campaign group STORM (Support the Oldham Rochdale Manchester rail line), Richard Greenwood, offers a contrasting viewpoint, and is personally in favour of the project.

He said: “My own personal view is that I am in favour of it. The main lines from the London area through the Midlands onto Lancashire and Yorkshire are already at full capacity. I believe that no amount of tinkering about with the existing infrastructure will give much benefit.

“In particular, freight is being constrained by the lack of capacity, especially as mixing comparatively slow-moving freight on the same tracks as fast passenger trains means less capacity, so HS2 dedicated to passenger trains will leave a lot more capacity for freight on the existing tracks.

“Every country in the world, except perhaps Canada, is going for high speed lines.”

He continued: “I can understand how the objectors feel when the railway will require demolition of their house but the knee-jerk reaction of others whose house maybe a mile or more away are less understandable. To my mind, some of the objection comes from the same mindset that opposed the original railways, like the Liverpool and Manchester in the 1820s.

“About ten or twelve years ago, there was a through service of trains from Rochdale to London Euston, but these had to be withdrawn whilst the existing West Coast Mainline was upgraded and they have never been restored.

“On existing plans, Rochdale will get a through connection with the High-Speed Network, along with many other towns in the north west. My only regret is that I won't be around to see it.”

A spokesperson from High Speed Rail Industry Leaders said: “Britain is today a divided country with disparities in wealth and opportunity between our cities and regions. HS2 helps smash the north south divide and improves business connectivity in the North and Midlands more than London. HS2, which is already underway, is bringing confidence to invest, new job opportunities and will support higher productivity ahead.

“Our report shows beyond question that HS2 is a great way to bring this country back together, with dozens of towns and cities set to benefit, even those off the HS2 route through releasing capacity from more trains and services on other lines.

“In recent months, there has been increase noise about whether the project should proceed and it has been suggested that Northern Powerhouse Rail should be prioritised above HS2 or be instead of it. Pitting the two projects against each other is a false choice. HS2 helps deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail and is integral to it. We didn’t have to choose between the M62 and M1 motorways, and the North should not have to make a false choice between decent East-West and North-South rail services, when an effective overall network is what is needed.

“HS2 must be delivered in full. The evidence is overwhelming. There is no Plan B for tackling the north-south transport divide.”