Rail services operating to and from London Euston will be “plunged into a decade of chaos” due to the planned HS2 scheme, according to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI).
HS2 Action Alliance, a campaign group formed in 2010 to oppose Government proposals for the new high-speed rail link, has obtained copies of notes and reports between rail operators, the DFT and Network Rail, which state that 40% of long-distance trains into Euston will be delayed if the scheme goes ahead.
The documents also showed local commuter trains will suffer a capacity shortfall of 22 per cent, and there will be “significant” weekend and bank holiday closures with widespread disruption in holiday periods including Christmas.
The controversial project, which has come under fire from both political sides, would link London to Birmingham by 2026, with tracks to cities including Leeds and Manchester built in a second phase, to be completed by 2032-33.
HS2 Action Alliance said the problems found by the FOI request are just “the tip of the iceberg”.
The group’s head of PR and media Richard Houghton said as soon as work is started on the project it will “needlessly create the very sort of chaos and capacity crisis it is proposed to avoid”.
“It will put rail travel back 30 years,” said Houghton. He added Euston will be operating “on a knife-edge” with no room for error.
“Everybody is aware of the type of chaos that erupts if Heathrow, which runs at 99 per cent capacity, suffers any sort of issue – whether incident or bad weather.
“The difference is Euston would be plunged into chaos for 10 years solid, and while aircraft can use alternative airports, trains cannot use London terminals.”
The FOI request found the number of platforms at Euston will be permanently reduced from 18 to 13, with the number of approach tracks reduced from six to four.
Virgin Trains services will have to leave Euston as soon as 25 minutes after arrival, leaving “little time for servicing and cleaning, or recovery after delay”.
HS2 Action Alliance also claims all long distance passengers will have to stand on the concourse until just before departure time, and there will be long delays when inbound trains are late.
The campaign group said construction work on HS2 could result in decline in Birmingham and Manchester services from three to two an hour.
A spokesperson for HS2 said: “We cannot continue to patch and mend our Victorian railway.
“We need to take the bold decisions now to secure our infrastructure into the next century. HS2 will be a vital artery benefiting communities right across the country.”