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A cross-party plan for a replacement scheme for the axed northern stretch of HS2 has emerged.
The mayors of both Manchester and Birmingham are to meet Transport Secretary Mark Harper to discuss the project, which could reportedly mean construction of a new high-speed line or major upgrades to the existing rail connection between the two cities.
As reported by the Daily Express, the scheme would be mostly paid for by the private sector, unlike the HS2 project which had its northern section axed due to delays and soaring costs.
A southern section of HS2 linking Birmingham and London is already under construction, and will cost as much as £66.6billion.
The northern section replacement project is being overseen by Sir David Higgins, the former chairman of HS2 and chief executive of the 2012 London Olympics, now chairman of Gatwick Airport.
It also involves West Midlands Conservative Mayor Andy Street and Greater Manchester Labour Mayor Andy Burnham.
Mr Street told the Daily Express: “The mayors of the two regions are leading this but to be clear, with government support. By inviting the private sector in to play the maximum possible role, it can be significantly less costly for the public exchequer.”
A plan to revive parts of the northern stretch of HS2 are back on track, according to government officials
(PA Wire)
Train operating companies would meet the initial costs of a new line, according to the newspaper, but input from the taxpayer would still be required.
Mr Street said: “We have to be realistic about this. If I say it won’t cost the Exchequer anything, that’s probably not the case. But we are definitely looking for it to cost substantially less.
“We have got around the table organisations that do the private-sector funding of rail in other parts of the world, and people who either own or are linked to operators.”
The newspaper reports that the rail link could connect the end of the HS2 line in Handsacre in Staffordshire, just north of Birmingham, with Stockport, which is set to be the final stop on a high-speed network known as Northern Powerhouse Rail.
However, with the government ending “safeguarding” of land on the axed HS2 route, there is a race to progress with the project.
Rishi Sunak used his Tory conference speech in October to confirm The Independent’s exclusive report that the northern leg of the high speed rail line would be scrapped, sparking fury among regional leaders and business chiefs.
He said the government would re-invest £36bn from the high-speed rail project in a series of road and rail schemes across the country
However, Andrew McNaughton, HS2’s former technical director, said Mr Sunak had created a “growth reduction scheme” by axing the route. He told The Observer the “whole strategy for connecting the north and south of England was HS2”.
“Any other plans were all predicated on HS2 creating the new capacity either directly or indirectly for the next 100 years,” he said.
He added: “If there is nothing to replace it, you would need to ration. What’s the rationing on the railway? You have to price people off. That’s how it’s always been done as the only way of managing demand.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson told the Daily Express: “The Government is supportive of work to improve rail connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester.”
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