Fears over Northern Powerhouse Rail if eastern leg of HS2 is not delivered

It comes after Government advisers said regional rail links should be prioritised.

Leaders are pushing for a Bradford city centre stop as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail. 

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has recommended that investment should be focused on boosting mainline services across the North and the Midlands rather than the full eastern leg of the high-speed railway to Leeds.

Its Rail Needs Assessment stated it would be “potentially cheaper and faster” to deliver improvements to regional journeys through a combination of new lines and upgrades, rather than Phase 2b of HS2.

Regional projects include Northern Powerhouse Rail between Liverpool and Hull, and the Midlands Engine.

The NIC report suggested that building of the first section of HS2’s eastern leg from Birmingham to Nottingham could be accelerated, and did not call for extension of the line to Leeds to be ruled out.

Sir John Armitt, who chairs the NIC, said: “Major rail schemes will be an important component in levelling up the country’s economic geography, but we should ensure public money is carefully spent where it can make the most difference.

“The number and scale of rail schemes currently being proposed for the North and Midlands mean that some form of prioritisation will be necessary, and we think there are ways of bringing forward benefits for communities and businesses while keeping options open for additional investments, if the circumstances are right.

“Our independent analysis offers Government various ways of targeting spending depending on the precise economic and social outcomes it wants to achieve.”

On the development of the full eastern leg, he said there is “no reason why it shouldn’t get built”, but improving regional links would get “more benefits into the regions, more quickly”.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Bradford Council, said the North needs the Government to "signal strongly" that is supports ambitions to improve standards of living.

She said: "Any move to deprioritise the eastern leg of HS2 would be to do precisely the opposite at the worst possible time. 

“The limited remit of the National Infrastructure Commission means its report is based on a set of narrow considerations that fail to address the broader implications for our transport network and economic ambitions. 

“HS2 is fundamental to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail and major investment in Leeds Station but it is more than a transport project. As part of an integrated transport network it is fundamental to our plans for regeneration and inward investment and would help inspire a generation of engineers, exemplified by the Institute for High Speed Rail and System Integration. 

“Continued uncertainty around this project will blight businesses and communities while also undermining plans which have been in development for a decade. The Government must now be clear that it will honour its commitment to deliver the eastern leg of HS2 in full and do so on the same timescale as the western leg.” 

Councillor Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council, co-chair of HS2 East and West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Lead, added: “The Government has previously committed to delivering the eastern leg of HS2 in full, which could create 50,000 jobs and add £54bn to the West Yorkshire economy by 2050, and should move quickly now to end the damaging uncertainty around this investment around which we have been planning for years and commit to delivery on the same timescale as the western leg. Failing to do so risks blighting swathes of key development land in Leeds City Centre with the consequences for job creation and our economy. 

"We have set out an ambition for a minimum of two trains per hour to serve every West Yorkshire rail station with up to six per hour on major routes, as part of an integrated transport system. HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail with a new line from Manchester to Leeds via Bradford city centre, in addition to the upgrade in full of the trans-Pennine line, are all needed to provide the capacity that supports this vision and the benefits it will deliver for our communities.  

“Delaying, downgrading or cancelling the eastern leg of HS2 will do nothing to accelerate the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail, which will rely on HS2 infrastructure, or other projects. It will merely ensure that the North of England has to wait longer to see the additional capacity our rail network desperately needs to improve the local, regional and national services that are critical to our economy. 

“We need to break the cycle of promise followed by downgrade or cancellation when it comes to transport investment in the North and have long-term whole network planning that supports our drive to raise living standards for all.” 

Transport for the North said all NIC scenarios "fall short" of the ambition of Northern leaders.

Chief Executive Barry White said: "The National Infrastructure Commission’s report validates the vision of Northern leaders - recognising the desperate need to better connect the North’s towns and cities through new lines and significant upgrades as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail. 

"But in all the NIC scenarios this would fall short of the full stated ambition of Northern leaders. That such investment in our rail network would also come at the expense of HS2’s long-awaited arrival to Yorkshire is a bitter blow and one we oppose. The NIC was tasked with integrating these projects – not pitching them against each other.  

“The Government now has a bold choice to make on how much it truly wants to level-up through transport investment. As the report shows, increasing rail spend could transform the North’s fortunes. But constraining spending and ambition will lead to cut-price versions of the current plans and promised projects simply not being delivered - that will curtail investment in the North and cost many jobs. 

“We now strongly urge the Government to be ambitious in its decision-making. If the mission is to ‘build back better’, then the message is simple: commit to the options that deliver true transformation for the North.

"That includes better connections for communities such as those in Liverpool, Bradford, Sheffield, Hull and the North East; proper and reliable east and west links; and exploring ways to accelerate construction of projects including the full HS2 network.

“The NIC recognises the clear need to build consensus and that the Government should work with Transport for the North. It’s important that we are fully involved in these crucial decisions as the Government finalises the Integrated Rail Plan.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We welcome the NIC’s Rail Needs Assessment report published today, which suggests how we can improve our future rail network in the North and Midlands and ensure projects like HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail work together to deliver the reliable train services that passengers deserve.

“It is necessary that we take the time to consider these recommendations in full, and we therefore expect to publish the Integrated Rail Plan in early 2021.”