The High Speed 2 rail project has again come under fire – this time from an influential committee of MPs.
The Public Accounts Committee said that the Department for Transport had yet to present “a convincing case” for the £42.6 billion rail project in a report published today (September 9).
“The estimates of costs and benefits are still far from finalised and the pattern so far has been for costs to increase and benefits to decrease,” said the committee in its report.
“The department's timetable for preparing and passing the legislation needed to build and operate the line appears unrealistic and overly ambitious, which raises concerns about the quality of the department and HS2 Limited's preparation work, including the route design.”
Under current plans, the high-speed rail line will initially link London and Birmingham from 2026 followed by two spurs to Manchester and Leeds which are scheduled to open in 2032.
The committee’s report adds another voice to a growing band of HS2 opponents which includes the Institute of Directors (IOD) and former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling who have attacked the project in recent weeks.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin spent this morning refuting the charges made by the Public Accounts Committee.
“I welcome any examination of HS2, but I do not accept the PAC’s core conclusions,” he said.
“HS2 is a vital part of our plan to give Britain the transport infrastructure it needs to compete. Without HS2, the key rail routes connecting London, the Midlands and the north will be overwhelmed.
“HS2 will free up vital space on our railways for passengers and freight and generate hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
“We are funding the biggest upgrade to our railway in modern times. We are investing record amounts across our transport network – including trebling spending on major road schemes.”
The committee has made a series of recommendations to the DFT including that it should publish “detailed evidence which clearly shows why it considers High Speed 2 to be the best option for increasing rail capacity into London, improving connectivity between regional cities and rebalancing the economy”.
It also wants the DFT to examine the business case for the second “Y-shaped” phase of HS2 “using up to date information and realistic assumptions, particularly on the benefits to business travellers”.