Manchester and the North’s hopes of being connected to London by high speed rail have been thrown into doubt this weekend after the man in charge of the link quit his job.

Simon Kirby, the Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd and former Network Rail Director announced he was leaving his £750K a year role to join Rolls Royce after the Sunday Times approached him with the rumour that he was leaving at his Lake District Home.

The announcement will be seen as a blow to the £56m project for which Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was due to rule on the second stage this Autumn to Manchester and Leeds and the Government already rethinking about other costly projects such as Hinkley Point and the announcement in the summer by the National Audit Office that it could be delayed by a year, with the 2026 target date for opening phase one between London and the West Midlands being “at risk”.

Earlier in the summer a report by the Taxpayer’s Alliance claimed that the business case for HS2 has fallen apart and the scheme is already projected to be massively over its original budget. 

It is unlikely to be completed on schedule and there’s a significant chance that future technological developments, such as autonomous vehicles, will make it an obsolete technology years before the first train sets off for Birmingham while adding that  HS2 is unlikely to help develop the economy of North England to the extent that has been suggested and the need for increased travel capacity could well be met by new technologies.

Responding to the announcement that Simon Kirby is to join Rolls Royce as Chief Operating Officer, the chairman of HS2, David Higgins, said:

I am delighted for both Simon and Rolls Royce that he has been appointed to this position. Whilst naturally we will miss his experience and leadership, I also recognise that he is joining a truly great, global company in an industry in which he has previously worked.

In his two and half years with the company, Simon has used his vast experience to recruit and shape a world class team which over the coming years and decades will turn HS2 into a reality that will be of lasting benefit to this country.

That team will continue that process as we start and complete the process of finding Simon’s successor.

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