A report published by HS2 finally reveals the thinking behind the decision to build a turnback surface station at Piccadilly instead of the underground option preferred by northern leaders. But the study, say its critics, fails to properly consider the broader economic case for an underground through hub or explain the maths behind the claim it will be £5bn cheaper to build above ground.
The report, developed before last week’s deposit of the Phase 2b Crewe-Manchester hybrid bill but shared only this week, explores the options for a station at Piccadilly to house both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail services for passengers to travel east-west across the region. It compares the pros and cons of building a surface turnback station or an underground through hub, and arrives at the conclusion that an overground option on the northern flank of Manchester Piccadilly, with viaducts over Ardwick, is best.
The 166-page document considers three underground options of differing sizes and alignments. All these, it’s argued, would ‘require significantly greater volumes of material to be imported and exported…when compared to a surface station.” It also states that a delivery date would be seven to 13 years later with an underground option.
