Following the news that the government is putting on hold the electrification of the Transpennine Rail route between Manchester and Leeds, there are concerns for the viability and funding of HS2.
A report, the Major Projects Authority assessment from 2012, which had previously been suppressed, was published on Thursday, which suggest doubts among officials have grown that the planned high-speed link from London to the north can keep within its £42bn budget and provide promised the necessary economic stimulus.
The report states that: “The department believes however that the costs of this project are so large, and over such a long period, that it will not be able to afford it alongside all its other likely spending commitments.”
Its annual report, also published last week, graded HS2 as amber/red, meaning: “Successful delivery of the project is in doubt, with major risks or issues apparent in a number of key areas.”
The report, coming on top of last week’s news that a key part of the infrastructure needed to be in place for the so called Northern Powerhouse, will come as a blow to local leaders who have campaigned vigourously for a speeding up of the High Speed rail link, connecting Manchester to Birmingham and London.
Earlier this year Peers concluded that the government has no convincing case for spending £50bn building the HS2 rail link between London and the North, that the main arguments in favour of HS2, increasing railway capacity and rebalancing the economy, were still to be proven, instead favouring better links between Northern Cities.
The first phase of HS2 will be between London and Birmingham opening in 2026, followed by a V-shaped section to Manchester and Yorkshire expected to open in 2033.
It promises to reduce journey times between Birmingham and London from 81 minutes to 49 minutes, and slash the trip to Manchester by an hour to just 68 minutes.
