One sentence summary – The proposed High-Speed 2 (HS2) project in the UK, which aims to connect London with Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, is facing opposition, potential alterations, and concerns about delays and funding, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak facing opposition from his own party members, advisers, and business leaders, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized the idea and former Prime Minister David Cameron expressed concerns about the Conservative Party, leading to discussions about potentially scrapping the second phase of the rail line.
At a glance
- The High-Speed 2 (HS2) project is a proposed high-speed rail network in the UK.
- The project aims to connect London with Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds.
- There is opposition, potential alterations, and concerns about delays and funding for HS2.
- Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing opposition from his own party members, advisers, and business leaders regarding the project.
- There are proposals to scrap the northern section of HS2, potentially saving £34 billion.
The details
The High-Speed 2 (HS2) project, a proposed high-speed rail network in the UK, is currently under scrutiny.
The project aims to connect London with Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds.
However, it has been met with opposition, potential alterations, and concerns about delays and funding.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, is facing opposition from his own party members, advisers, and business leaders regarding the HS2 project.
The Independent revealed plans to scrap the northern section of HS2, potentially saving £34 billion.
Sir John Armitt, the government’s infrastructure tsar, warned that abandoning HS2 would have disastrous consequences.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized the idea, describing it as “Treasury-driven nonsense” that would “mutilate” HS2.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron expressed concerns that scrapping HS2 would be detrimental to the Conservative Party.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan labeled ditching the project as a “colossal waste of money.”
West Yorkshire mayor, Tracy Brabin, emphasized that abandoning HS2 would harm jobs, investment, and the economy.
The Northern Powerhouse Partnership, a business group, criticized the potential reduction of the line, considering it “wrongheaded.”
Proposals being considered involve stopping the HS2 line north of Birmingham and cutting a section of the line into central Manchester.
The final stretch of the line into Euston may be abandoned in favor of terminating at Old Oak Common.
Boris Johnson urged the Prime Minister to fulfill the levelling-up pledge and criticized cost-saving measures.
Rishi Sunak plans to delay the northern phase of HS2 by up to seven years.
A decision on the project’s fate is expected to be made by the Prime Minister this week.
Work on the railway north of Birmingham may be delayed to shift costs into the future.
Cabinet minister Grant Shapps stated that the government cannot provide unlimited funding for HS2.
Some members of the Conservative Party criticized the reported plans to delay HS2.
Rising costs and repeated delays have sparked discussions about scrapping the second phase of the rail line.
Nominal costs for the first phase of HS2 could increase by £8 billion due to inflation.
Grant Shapps emphasized the need to reassess the project’s costs and consider the fiscal picture before spending government funds.
Shapps mentioned that factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine should prompt a reassessment of the project.
HS2 is a high-speed rail project that has undergone changes in costs, delivery dates, and routes since its proposal in 2010.
Every Prime Minister since Gordon Brown has supported HS2, but Boris Johnson’s government canceled the Leeds leg.
The current projected cost of HS2 phase one is £44.6 billion, with completion expected in 2033.
Construction is currently underway for 140 miles of track from Old Oak Common to Birmingham.
The London to Birmingham leg is expected to open to passengers between 2029 and 2033.
The original London terminus was Euston, but the southern part of HS2 is now planned to terminate at Old Oak Common.
Building HS2 from Old Oak Common to Euston is estimated to cost £4.8 billion.
Birmingham Curzon Street HS2 stop is a 15-minute walk from Birmingham New Street.
The construction of HS2 is expected to support around 30,000 jobs, including 1,300 apprenticeships.
HS2 claims that building the first phase is necessary, as upgrading existing lines would require 2,700 weekend closures over 15 years.
Homeowners living within 180 meters of the HS2 route are offered £24,000 in compensation.
If HS2 is built in full to the northwest, journey times between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston would be reduced to 1 hour 11 minutes.
The journey time between Manchester and Birmingham on HS2 would be reduced to 41 minutes.
HS2 trains would have a top speed of 225 mph and could be coupled to create longer trains with 1,100 seats.
These facts have been compiled from multiple sources and aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the HS2 project.
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| independent.co.uk |
|---|
| – Rishi Sunak is facing opposition from his own party, advisers, and business leaders over the HS2 project. |
| – |
| The Independent revealed plans to scrap HS2 north of Birmingham, which could save £34 billion. – |
| The government’s infrastructure tsar, Sir John Armitt, called scrapping HS2 a “disaster. |
| ” – Boris Johnson criticized the idea, calling it “Treasury-driven nonsense” that would “mutilate” HS2. – David Cameron is concerned that scrapping HS2 would be anti-Conservative. – London mayor Sadiq Khan described ditching the project as a “colossal waste of money. |
| ” – West Yorkshire mayor Tracey Brabin warned that it would damage jobs, investment, and the economy. – |
| The Northern Powerhouse Partnership, a business group, said cutting back the line would be “wrongheaded. |
| ” – Proposals being considered include stopping the line north of Birmingham and cutting a section of line into central Manchester. – |
| The final stretch of the line into Euston could be abandoned in favor of terminating at Old Oak Common. |
| – Boris Johnson urged the prime minister to deliver on the levelling-up pledge and criticized cost-saving measures. – David Cameron has privately raised concerns about heavily altering the high-speed rail line. – Sadiq Khan warned that it may take longer to travel from Birmingham to central London on HS2 than on existing trains. |
| – Tracy Brabin said scrapping the project in the north of England would damage jobs, investment, and the economy. – Henri Murison, CEO of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the government is considering wrongheaded choices. – HS2’s original leg to Leeds via Sheffield was already scrapped under Boris Johnson’s premiership. – Labour’s official policy is to build HS2 in full, including the previously cancelled spur to Leeds. – |
| Pulling the legislation for the northern phase of the project would complicate the process for a new government attempting to complete it. – |
| The government has not made any decisions yet and remains focused on delivering the HS2 project. |
| independent.co.uk |
|---|
| – Rishi Sunak is planning to delay the northern phase of HS2 by up to seven years. |
| – |
| The prime minister will make a decision on the fate of the project this week. |
| – Ministers are expected to announce that work on the railway north of Birmingham will be delayed to move costs into the future. |
| – Grant Shapps, a cabinet minister, has stated that the government cannot provide unlimited funding for HS2. – There has been criticism from within the Conservative Party regarding the reported plans to delay HS2. |
| – |
| It is understood that the southern part of HS2 will terminate at Old Oak Common instead of continuing to Euston. |
| – Rising costs and repeated delays have led to discussions about scrapping the second phase of the rail line. – |
| The government’s infrastructure tsar and two former Tory prime ministers have called for the project to continue. |
| – Nominal costs for the first phase of HS2 could increase by £8bn due to inflation. |
| – Grant Shapps has stated that the project’s costs need to be reassessed and that the government should not spend money without considering the fiscal picture. – Shapps has also mentioned that Covid and the war in Ukraine should prompt a reassessment of the project. – Rail travel passenger numbers have largely recovered close to pre-pandemic levels. – Boris Johnson has criticized cost-saving measures for HS2 and urged the prime minister to fulfill the levelling-up pledge. – David Cameron has privately expressed concerns about potential alterations to the high-speed rail line. – Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has warned that terminating HS2 at Old Oak Common instead of Euston would result in longer travel times. – Jeremy Hunt has stated that the government is considering all options and wants to find a cost-effective way to deliver infrastructure projects. – |
| The government has stated that the focus remains on delivering the HS2 project. |
| theguardian.com |
|---|
| – HS2 is a high-speed rail project that has experienced changes in costs, delivery dates, and routes since it was proposed in 2010. |
| – It was originally planned as a Y-shaped network from London Euston to Birmingham, with spurs to Manchester and Leeds. – |
| Every prime minister since Gordon Brown has supported HS2, but under Boris Johnson’s government, the Leeds leg was canceled. – |
| The current projected cost of HS2 phase one is £44.6bn, with completion expected in 2033. |
| – Construction is currently underway for 140 miles of track from Old Oak Common to Birmingham. – |
| The London to Birmingham leg is expected to open to passengers between 2029 and 2033. – |
| The original London terminus was Euston, which is 6 miles away from Old Oak Common. – |
| The estimated cost of building HS2 from Old Oak Common to Euston is £4.8bn. – Birmingham Curzon Street HS2 stop is a 15-minute walk from Birmingham New Street, the main rail interchange in the Midlands. – |
| The construction of HS2 is expected to support around 30,000 jobs, including 1,300 apprenticeships. |
| – HS2 claims that 2,700 weekend closures over 15 years would be necessary to upgrade existing lines instead of building the first phase of HS2. – Homeowners living within 180 meters of the HS2 route are offered £24,000 in compensation. |
| – If HS2 is built in full to the northwest, the journey time between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston would be reduced to 1 hour 11 minutes from the current 2 hours 5 minutes. – |
| The journey time between Manchester and Birmingham on HS2 would be reduced to 41 minutes from the current 1 hour 27 minutes. – |
| The new HS2 trains would have a top speed of 225mph. – Each HS2 train would be 200 meters long, with the option to couple two units together to create a 400-meter long train. |
| – A double HS2 train would have 1,100 seats. |
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