PM heralds go-ahead for HS2 project

Rejecting high-speed rail plans ‘would have condemned North to nothing’

PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson yesterday heralded a landmark move to boost the nation’s beleaguered rail network and push ahead with HS2 as political and business leaders called for an end to the delays and soaring costs which have blighted the multibillion pound project.

The long-awaited decision from the Government on HS2 came yesterday, with a rousing speech given in the Commons where Mr Johnson heralded having the “guts to take the decision” and said not to do so would have been “condemning the North to get nothing for 20 years”.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that “cost forecasts have exploded” – from £32.7bn in 2011 to £106bn – and criticised the company responsible for developing the high-speed railway.

“I cannot say that HS2 Ltd has distinguished itself in the handling of local communities,” he told the Commons, but he insisted that “poor management to date has not detracted from the fundamental value of the project”.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warned that Mr Johnson “promised so much” to people in the Midlands and the North, but they will be “sorely disappointed”.

And civic and business leaders, who have largely driven the pressure on the Government over HS2, were adamant the fight was not over yet, with their role now switching to ensuring the project, along with Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), was delivered to a high standard under a new body likely called High Speed North.

Chris Oglesby, chief executive of Bruntwood, a northern property firm with a base in Leeds, said: “We cannot afford any more prevarication or delay as there can be no ‘levelling-up’ of the UK economy without transformational new infrastructure projects outside of London and the South East.”

It emerged that northern sections of HS2 will be taken from the Government-backed organisation tasked with building it and handed to the new body to tie it to east to west connections.

Henri Murison, the director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “We want them to look to the London Olympics (for the structure of the new body).”

He said while the London Olympics Organising Committee employed 200 people, HS2 Ltd – up until now in charge of the project – employed 2,000 staff.

He said: “We’re looking for a better delivery model, where you bring in the private sector to do all the work, and you don’t try and deliver it yourself.”

One of the issues will be to make sure the Government commits to including areas such as Bradford on the NPR route, with concerns this might be cut, despite initially being included.

The fears stem from a sixmonth pause on northern sections of the build to try and drive down costs and integrate better with NPR.

While sources close to the project told The Yorkshire Post this presented an opportunity to fix certain aspects, it also caused some anxiety that plans would be changed or watered down.

Politicians including the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, and Sheffield South East Labour MP Clive Betts called for South Yorkshire to benefit amid speculation over the exact route.

Mr Johnson was adamant, however, it was right to “interrogate the methods and the costs” of the project.

We cannot afford any more prevarication or delay.

Chris Oglesby, chief executive of northern property firm Bruntwood.

BORIS JOHNSON has clearly listened to high speed rail’s critics. HS2 Ltd will become accountable after delays, and costs, escalated; a full-time Minister appointed to oversee Europe’s largest construction project and it will be fully integrated with Northern Powerhouse Rail.

All points repeatedly raised by The Yorkshire Post, and a vindication of the proactive stance taken by leaders here, they will be key to getting the scheme back on track, as the projected cost reaches £100bn, and assuaging HS2’s critics who believe the money would be spent on more local schemes.

And the fact that the Prime Minister made a statement in person to the House of Commons indicated the level of political capital that he now intends to invest in HS2 after reviewing its viability.

Now Mr Johnson must demonstrate how HS2 will deliver prosperity “to every part of the country” – he should utilise the very best of UK manufacturing so it becomes known as the ‘British Bullet’ – while showing humility towards opponents.

Controversy and confrontation must be superseded by conciliation and collaboration in the Commons and in communities. That demands world class leadership. It begins with showing respect towards those who will lose their homes as the route through South Yorkshire is reviewed. It requires a plan to replace the natural habitats that will be removed – one of HS2’s key objectives should be making sure that it is the greenest railway in the world. And it continues with the use of cutting-edge technology so that rolling stock is not outdated by the time the first high-speed train rolls into Leeds and Sheffield.

Major challenges after so much mismanagement, they are now a timely opportunity for Mr Johnson to preside over a local, regional and national rail revolution and he should take them without delay.