The Government is “actively considering” changes to the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line, a minister in the Department for Transport has said, following reports that the service will run from Euston as far as Crewe.
It comes after LBC reported on Thursday that the Government has re-evaluated the cost-benefit analysis of HS2 and concluded that the line should continue beyond Birmingham.
Doing so would represent a major reversal of a decision made by the then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who announced at his party's conference last year that the high speed service was no longer planned to reach Manchester, and would instead terminate in the West Midlands.
Mr Sunak had also said the 4.5-mile tunnel linking the planned Euston terminus with Old Oak Common in west London would be paid for by the private sector.
Asked by the Standard whether LBC’s report is true, Simon Lightwood MP, the minister for local transport, said: “What we did say on HS2 is that we wouldn’t be taking the plans off the shelf of the previous Conservative Government, who let costs spiral completely out of control, but we are completely committed to delivering better rail connectivity across the north - as we set out in our manifesto.
“Of course, you will have seen from the legislation put forward by the Government already, that we absolutely recognise that transport is an essential part of delivering that economic growth.”
LBC reports that HS2 Ltd will not be overseeing the section between Birmingham and Crewe, and that it could instead be handed to a private sector consortium.
Asked what he meant by not taking the Conservatives’ plans “off the shelf”, and whether that would involve looking at different ways of funding the route north from Birmingham, Mr Lightwood said: “It’s something we’re actively considering at this second, and of course we’ll release more information in due course.”
Responding to LBC’s report, shadow transport secretary Helen Whately said: “This would be a huge spending commitment from Labour, and it helps to explain why they’re about to hike all of our taxes.”
The Tory MP added: “The money that was saved on HS2 is being reinvested... Labour now need to be clear who’s going to lose out.”
However, the High Speed Rail Group (HSRG) - a coalition of rail and engineering companies - said earlier this month that the extra cost of building the route from Euston to Crewe, rather than only from Old Oak Common to Birmingham, would pay for itself.
This would be made possible by selling the rights to run services on the line as a long-term concession – on a similar basis to the HS1 rail route linking London with the Channel Tunnel.
In the analysis by HSRG and the policy group Greengauge 21, the currently-proposed line from Old Oak Common to Birmingham Curzon Street will cost £47bn, but its limitations mean the railway would have a potential concession value of only £5bn.
Building on to Euston and Crewe, while costing another £11.5bn, could make it worth £20bn, the analysis showed.
