Andy Burnham, Mayor of Higher Manchester, has warned that the North dangers dealing with “Armageddon” except the HS2 high-speed rail hyperlink from Birmingham to Manchester is accomplished.
He urged Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer to reverse the earlier authorities’s resolution to scrap the northern leg of the undertaking, calling for a revised, extra reasonably priced model of the unique plan.
Talking on the Labour Get together Convention, Burnham defined that terminating HS2 in Birmingham would worsen rail companies within the North, forcing slower trains and fewer seats. He argued that if HS2 trains run on the West Coast Predominant Line (WCML), which lacks the capability for double-length carriages and high-speed curves, it will lead to a “worse train service than we’ve currently got.”
Initially meant to attach London and Manchester, HS2 was scaled again in 2023 beneath Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to avoid wasting £36 billion, sparking outrage throughout the North. Burnham is now pushing for a lower-cost various, the Midlands-Northwest Rail Hyperlink, which might join Lichfield to Excessive Legh, close to Warrington, and be backed by non-public funding.
Burnham stated this undertaking would resolve regional transport points at a fraction of HS2’s unique price. He emphasised that Britain dangers “sleepwalking toward a transport nightmare” except funding is made to modernise rail infrastructure, significantly because the WCML and M6 motorway attain capability.
He additionally expressed help for extending HS2 from Previous Oak Widespread into London’s Euston Station, stating that “people in the North of England should be able to get into the heart of our capital city.”
Burnham’s feedback come because the Nationwide Audit Workplace raised issues over capability points following the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2. He warned that upgrading the WCML alone could be extremely disruptive and inadequate to satisfy future calls for.
