Dividing line: The main winners and losers of HS2
High speed rail remains divisive, with neighbouring towns along the UK’S new route holding wildly different hopes and fears
THE front doors of the Shimmer housing estate in Mexborough were already plastered with “Stop HS2” signs by the time the national media rolled into South Yorkshire last week. The controversial high-speed line raises a series of complex issues, of course, but the reason for the anger of a group of Shimmer residents is comparatively simple: their homes are going to be demolished.
Some said they felt “deserted”, while others spoke of being treated like nothing more than “bricks and mortar”. For HS2’S opponents, here was a dramatic and tangible example of the damage it could do to local communities. Yet 60 miles to the west of Mexborough, last week’s confirmation of the HS2 route was met with jubilation in Wigan, which dreams of a high-speed rail inspired revamp of its economy.
As the project takes shape, the divisions between affected areas will become increasingly pronounced.
The pain
Connectivity has long been one of Warrington’s great strengths. Sitting 20 miles to the east of Liverpool and 20 miles to the west of Manchester, the ease of access to the North West’s biggest cities has helped it grow into one of the most vibrant economies in the North. It is for this reason that its people are so furious about being “completely missed out” by HS2, which skirts around the town. It has been described as “all pain and no economic gain” by the borough council. Steven Broomhead, its chief executive, told The Daily Telegraph that HS2 would do nothing but damage the area.
“We just don’t understand why a vibrant and successful economic town like Warrington is being completely missed out by HS2,” he says. “It seems to be an engineering-led project that does not take account of the strategic areas of economic growth.” The council has argued that the priority should now be upgrading the West Coast Mainline, which is expected to be full by the time 2024 comes around.
The gain
Barely a dozen miles stand between Warrington and Wigan, but the contrast in fortunes between the two could hardly be more pronounced.
While Warrington grumbles about the train hurtling through its communities, Wigan drools over a lucrative future as the “North West’s gateway to high-speed rail”.
Once HS2 has been built, it will connect Wigan to London in little more than one hour and 20 minutes, and Birmingham in 35 minutes. It is hoped that the ease of access to the rest of the country will provide an boost to the town’s economy and, perhaps even more importantly, make Wigan a more attractive place to live.
Councillor David Molyneux, who is responsible for the area’s economic development and regeneration, hopes Wigan will be able to entice its graduates back to the town and put a stop to a brain drain.
“There will be great job opportunities for our residents in the various stages of design, delivery and operation of the new rail line,” he says, “as well as for local businesses to be involved in the supply chain.”
The confusion
“The majority of the businesses in the East Midlands look upon HS2 very favourably,” says Scott Knowles, the chief executive of the East Midlands Chamber, which has a membership of more than 4,000 businesses in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. “In terms of the economic benefit, it is currently estimated at around £4bn for the East Midlands, and part of Yorkshire.”
Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, has said there is a prospect of around 74,000 jobs being created in the region, which will have an East Midlands hub in Toton, between Nottingham and Derby.
“The East Midlands has a very strong planes, trains and automobiles spine, so as well as engineering jobs for maintenance and construction, it is also about the supply chain,” says Mr Knowles. “We have a significant supply chain to rail and there will be significant opportunities in the supply chain both in terms of construction and the longer term.”
But where there is hope, there is also confusion. On Thursday, three days after its HS2 announcement, the Government scrapped its plans to electrify three major railway lines, including the Midland Mainline. “We were told the Midland Mainline would be electrified all the way to Sheffield,” says Mr Knowles. “This would improve services because electric trains accelerate and brake more efficiently than heavier diesels and the enhanced operation would give more scope for more services.”
Mr Grayling insists the Government is “committed to using the best available technology to give passengers these improvements on each part of the network”. However, now there will be a 70-mile stretch between Kettering and Chesterfield, through the heart of the East Midlands, that will not be electrified. The decision rows back on previous commitments to make the line cleaner, faster and quieter, and Mr Knowles says it “flies in the face” of the HS2 announcement last week that electric trains will use part of the Midland Mainline track.
The opportunity
Three years ago, HS2 was seen as little more than an unmitigated disaster for the borough of Camden, in north London. The original plans would have meant that huge chunks of its markets would be torn apart by construction work, at an estimated cost to the local economy of as much as £631m and 9,000 jobs.
After much campaigning, the proposed plan of going through the markets has been ditched. Now, HS2 represents an opportunity for regeneration in the area.
“It has the potential to be amazing,” says Simon Pitkeathley, the chief executive of Camden Town Unlimited, the area’s Business Improvement District.
For the businesses who are being completely displaced, it will be hard to see this as much of a consolation.
But for others, the hope is that the redevelopment will have a similar impact to the regeneration of King’s Cross and St Pancras.
The challenge is to convince local businesses that years of disruption will produce these long-term results.