Rail bosses warn Boris there’s no Plan B for HS2

BORIS JOHNSON was today warned “there is no Plan B” and that he must allow construction of the HS2 rail line between London and Birmingham to continue.

Senior rail and construction figures say abandoning the high-speed line, or seeking to build its northern legs between Birmingham and Manchester and Leeds first, would have a catastrophic effect on jobs.

“If we were told tomorrow to find an alternative, it would take years,” one prominent rail insider told the Standard. “We have no alternative. You can’t do the North first. The only bit you can build is the bit with royal assent, which is London to Birmingham.”

About 30,000 jobs are expected to be created by HS2, with major works already under way at Euston station and Old Oak Common. “If they cancel it, we are all toast,” said the source.

Today it was reported that the cost of HS2 could increase by 20 per cent from £81 billion-£88 billion to as much as £106 billion. The project was estimated in 2015 to cost £56 billion.

A letter, seen by the Standard, has been sent to the Prime Minister by 20 construction chiefs.

It calls for HS2 to be built “in its entirety” and says it is already employing 9,000 people across 250 sites. It warns of “irreparable damage” to the industry if jobs are cut and skills are left to “die”.

HS2 would use 250mph trains to cut journey times between London and Birmingham by 29 minutes, and by 50 minutes between London and Manchester.

The London to Birmingham link is due to open in 2026. A draft copy of a report into HS2 by former chairman Doug Oakervee today said that “on balance” it should proceed.

However, some Tory MPs in the Midlands and North want the project cancelled and money diverted to other rail schemes. The Oakervee report suggested pausing planning for the northern routes for six months to see whether a mix of conventional and high-speed track was feasible.

Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, today said he was encouraged that the Oakervee report called for HS2 to proceed. But he warned against a “second-class option” of trains “trundling” on old track north of Birmingham.

Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Any failure to seize this opportunity would be a betrayal of the North.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the “massive decision”, expected to be made in weeks, on whether to go ahead with HS2 “needs to be factbased”. He told Sky News: “I asked Doug Oakervee to do that report and said to him, ‘Give me the facts, give me the data, give us the information so we can make a proper, informed decision’.

“I’ve always approached this from a relatively neutral point of view and that information will help to inform a decision that is best for the whole country.”

He added: “We’ll be making a final decision, along with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, on this very shortly.”