Downing Street has dampened down suggestions the northern leg of the HS2 rail project could be revived.
Reports from LBC Radio had suggested that the government were planning on reviving the Phase 2a section between Handsacre Junction and Crewe in the new year in a reversal of the Sunak government’s cancellation of the leg last October after costs had spiralled to £36 billion.
However, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “As we set out in the King’s Speech, the Government will not reverse the decision to cancel phase two of HS2. As you know, the project has been repeatedly delayed, costs have spiralled, the project has clearly been hugely mismanaged.”
The reports suggested that government had re-evaluated the cost-benefit ratio of the plan and lobbying by the Department for Transport and other departments successfully persuading the Prime Minister to push ahead with the project.
The initial reports also suggested that HS2 Ltd would not be overseeing the works however with it instead being handed to a private sector consortium.
In September, the Midlands-North West Rail project was launched by both the mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, Andy Burnham and Richard Parker. The “HS2 Lite” option as it was coined claimed a new slower line on the same route could be up to 40% cheaper. This proposal was also recently championed by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
However, the spokesman did confirm that plans for HS2 and other projects would be laid out in “due course”.
He added: “the Government remains committed, as set out in the manifesto, to delivering better rail connectivity across the north and that is why we are reviewing the position we have inherited, both on HS2 and other major infrastructure projects.”