Delay HS2 in favour of Northern Powerhouse Rail? Peers ask Manchester and Leeds
Has the Government got its priorities right for rail projects? Is the main advantage of HS2 the connectivity it provides between northern cities, or faster journeys to London? How bad is overcrowding on train services in the north? How reliant are the benefits and logistics of the Northern Powerhouse Rail Programme on the second phase of HS2?
These are among the questions the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee will be asking representatives of Manchester, Leeds, and Transport for the North on Tuesday 26 February 2019.
The witnesses will be giving evidence to a follow-up session on the Committee's inquiry, The Economics of High Speed 2, which published its report in March 2015.
The session will begin at 3.35pm. Giving evidence will be:
- Ben Still, Managing Director, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
- Simon Warburton, Transport Strategy Director, Transport for Greater Manchester
- Barry White, Chief Executive, Transport for the North
- Tim Wood, Northern Powerhouse Rail Director, Transport for the North.
The questions the Committee is likely to ask include:
- What additional work to transport links and stations in the north will be required to realise the full economic benefits of HS2?
- Do you agree with Sir Terry Morgan, former chairman of HS2 Ltd, that capacity is the most important justification for the project and that it was mistake to call it ‘High Speed 2'?
- Do you believe the public in the north are generally in favour of High Speed 2?
- Do you agree with Sir Terry Morgan that HS2 should terminate initially at Old Oak Common, allowing for more time to redevelop Euston?
This evidence session, which is open to the public, will start at 3.35pm on Tuesday 26 February 2019 in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.
