Let’s derail HS2 and spend cash on local trains
IT’S BEING strongly rumoured that the Eastern leg of HS2 is hitting the buffers as government departments start to take stock of the catastrophic costs that are being incurred on this project before any track has actually been laid.
As one of the more prominent anti-hs2 MPS, I have had a number of media requests for comment on the issue in recent days and appeared on BBC’S Newsnight programme last week.
The fact this is happening clearly demonstrates that something is afoot, with reports of the Government’s internal major projects authority stating that the route from Birmingham to Leeds and Crewe to Manchester has been designated “unachievable”, going on to state that a multitude of issues “do not appear to be manageable or resolvable”.
The stretch from London to Birmingham is still marked at “amber/red” for “successful delivery in doubt”.
In addition to this, the publication of the Government’s eagerly awaited Integrated Rail Strategy has been delayed for months, presumably because difficult decisions need to be made around it.
It seems only tunnel-visioned lobbyists and some misguided regional politicians are retaining enthusiasm for this scheme.
For city mayors and various council leaders, HS2 is akin to a comedian resorting to a swearword rather than a witty remark when dealing with a heckler.
It is an easy project to hitch yourself up to and claim you have big plans to sort out infrastructure.
However, if you ask the person in the street or the small business, it is the connections to neighbouring towns and cities that are of primary concern.
And while these regional politicians regularly trot out the line that the North or Midlands will never forgive the Government for cancelling the project, they are clearly ignoring polling.
The most recent Yougov national poll showed 39 per cent against with 25 per cent in favour. But when looking at the North it was 42 per cent against and 41 per cent against in the Midlands.
All polls show less than 10 per cent of the population “strongly support” this scheme, presumably made of the small minority who would actually benefit from it.
ON NEWSNIGHT last week I was up against Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, who, when challenged about whether we should have HS2 or better northern connections, suggested we should have it all.
That’s easy to say when you don’t have to concern yourself with budgets, which is all too common among those lobbying in favour of HS2.
For in this argument, there seems to be no account taken of costs, value for money, the finite amount of materials and workforce.
There also seems to be little account taken of the impact on private sector construction or the fact the percentage inflation rate in the construction sector has been in double figures for many years, something I warned about in Parliament in 2015, which will only lead to a higher final bill and pressure on housebuilders.
Mr Murison also cited the issue of the long journey time between Leeds and Nottingham.
While that is an issue, I do not detect a clamour of people in Nottingham – or indeed the wider East Midlands – citing a long journey to Leeds as their primary infrastructure need or want.
Indeed, if you surveyed the vast majority of the population in the Midlands and North, it is East-west and local connections which are the concern, not how fast they can get to London or Manchester.
There are huge calls on the public purse at present, with Covid and social care needing resource.
With HS2 having little support out in the country, ballooning costs and looking out of date, with a questionable business case, it’s time to shoot this white elephant and concentrate resources on local connections which are deliverable and benefit the majority, not just the few.
Only tunnelvisioned lobbyists are still enthused by this scheme