On Thursday 23 January 2020 members of
the House of Lords will debate the Economic Affairs Committee’s
report, Rethinking
High Speed 2, which was published in May
2019.
The report considers the business case
for High Speed 2, following up on the Committee’s 2015
report, The
Economics of High Speed 2.
The debate will be held in the House of
Lords Chamber and opened by the Committee’s
Chairman, . Speaking
ahead of the debate, he said:
“Investment in rail infrastructure in the
midlands and the north must be the Government’s priority. HS2
alone will do little to help long-neglected commuters travelling
into cities north of London. In fact, the main beneficiaries of
overcrowding relief from HS2, when it is finished, will be London
commuters who use the West Coast Main
Line.
“The Government must conduct a major
rethink on the full HS2 project and get a grip on the costs.
Savings could be found by reducing the line speed and changing
the London terminus to Old Oak Common. This money could then be
spent on much-needed improvements to rail services in the north
of England.
“The Government has failed to answer the
crucial questions our Committee raised about HS2 five years ago.
No one seems to know how much it will actually cost and if the
benefits it will deliver will be worth
it.”
During the inquiry, the former chair of
HS2 Ltd, Sir Terry Morgan, replied to a question about HS2’s cost
with, “Nobody knows yet.” The Committee is concerned that if the
costs of the London-Birmingham section overrun, the northern
sections may not be built.
The Committee found that significant
savings could be found by removing the redevelopment of Euston
station from the scope of Phase One of High Speed 2 and using Old
Oak Common as the London terminus for Phase One and Phase
2a.
It found that HS2 is being built to
accommodate trains operating at 400 kilometres per hour when the
initial maximum operating speed will be 360 kilometres per hour,
which itself is faster than the maximum operating speed of any
railway in the world. The Committee heard evidence that the
Government could reduce the cost of Phase 2b if it was willing to
contemplate reduced speeds.
The Committee also concluded that a new
method of appraisal is required which takes more account of the
transformative benefits of new
infrastructure.
will respond on behalf of the
Government.
The debate is expected to start
after midday on Thursday 23 January
2020.
On Tuesday 28 January 2020 the Committee
will take evidence from , former Deputy Chair of the
Oakervee Review into HS2. He will be joined by Barry White, Chief
Executive of Transport for the North and
Maria Machancoses, Director of Midlands
Connect.
This session, which is open to the
public, will start at 3.35pm and be held in Committee Room 1 of
the House of Lords.
Notes to
Editors
-
Click
here to read the Government’s response to the
Committee’s report.
