HS2 U-turn ‘will wreck efforts to level up UK’

BUSINESS leaders last night slammed the UK Government after it emerged that work on the eastern leg of the HS2 rail scheme has been shelved.

Ministers are understood to have quietly ordered HS2 Limited to halt planning work on the route to Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds, over fears about soaring costs. Instead, construction will focus solely on the western leg, to Manchester.

A spokesman for the CBI, which represents 190,000 businesses, said: ‘As the Government looks to build back better after Covid-19, delivery of HS2

‘Losing growth in areas that need it most’

in its entirety will be more relevant than ever.’

Mark Reynolds, chief executive of construction firm Mace, said: ‘By failing to deliver the entirety of the HS2 route, we risk losing out on improvements to the vital links between our regions and thousands of jobs and growth in the areas that need it most.’

The cost of HS2 has soared from £32.7 billion when the project was approved in 2012 to £107.7 billion.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘The Integrated Rail Plan will outline how major rail projects, including HS2 phase 2b and other projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, will work to deliver the services passengers deserve.’