‘HS2 won’t be running until 2041’, insists MP
THE HS2 high-speed rail line is a “loss-making” project which will not be completed before 2041, a county MP has claimed in the House of Commons.
Speaking to Parliament, Andrew Bridgen, the Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire, claimed he had received information about the major rail project from a whistleblower within HS2 Ltd.
Mr Bridgen said his source had claimed the first phase of the line, running between London and Birmingham, would not open until 2041 – up to 10 years later than the most recent official estimates.
Mr Bridgen also expressed concern at the project’s cost, telling MPs: “Experts in the field estimate the energy requirements of HS2 trains will be five times that of conventional rail.”
He added: “Can we have an extended debate on the impact of HS2 on the government’s energy policy and the level of subsidy this loss-making project will have to be supported with annually if it is ever built?
“Could we have this debate before 2041, which is the date that my whistleblower at the very top of HS2 tells me the project for phase one will actually be able to carry passengers between London and Birmingham?”
Commons Leader Jacob ReesMogg shrugged off Mr Bridgen’s claims, saying: “I thought whistleblowing was more steam engine than fast high-speed trains, but never mind.
“Obviously, the energy to run a train that is 440 yards long, that is two furlongs long, extraordinary length of train, at 225 miles an hour is more than running Ivor the Engine.
“And that is, of course, something that has to be built into the overall energy plans of this country.
“But the cost of energy to operate the HS2 network has been accounted for within the overall business case of the project and this energy will be procured in the open market at the right time to start operations and achieve value for money for the taxpayer.”
Mr Rees-Mogg insisted Mr Bridgen’s numbers were wrong, adding: “The delivery and service of HS2 phase one remains 2029 to 2033, so I am interested in his whistleblower.
“I will, of course, pass the whistle on to the Secretary of State for Transport.”
During the Westminster Hall debate, Mr Bridgen also claimed HS2 would end up costing £160 billion, an estimated £50 billion more than previous figures.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport (DfT) said: “We are making significant progress delivering HS2, a key part of our promise to build back better from Covid-19.
“The project is already supporting more than 20,000 jobs, construction on Phase 1 has begun, and MPs have given their backing to the Phase 2a route.
“We will continue to rigorously control pressures, and as our latest update to Parliament confirmed, Phase 1 remains within budget and schedule.
“The Integrated Rail Plan will soon outline exactly how major rail projects, including HS2 phase 2b, will work together to deliver the reliable train services that passengers across the North and Midlands need and deserve.”
Phase 1 of HS2 was scheduled for a 2026 launch, but in an update to Parliament in 2019, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said the opening date would be pushed back to somewhere between 2028 and 2031.
In March, in the HS2 six-monthly report to Parliament, it was pushed back even more, with the DfT now saying the projected “delivery into service” date range would fall between 2029 and 2033.