Research and Reports

Rethinking High Speed 2

The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee recommends that HS2 Phase 2b and Northern Powerhouse Rail be delivered as a single programme of works. That’s the conclusion of this report, which says such an approach would allow investment in rail infrastructure in the North to be prioritised where it is needed most. The committee also expresses its reservations over the cost:benefit analysis used to determine HS2’s value for money, and does not see why HS2 or Crossrail 2 are being prioritised over NPR which is “required more urgently”. Such is the need to address overcrowding in the North and improve rail connections between northern cities, the committee argues that HS2 construction should have started at the route’s northern ends in Leeds and Manchester, rather than in London which “is expected to gain most from the project”.