Andy Burnham, Mayor of Better 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 determination to scrap the northern leg of the mission, calling for a revised, extra inexpensive model of the unique plan.
Talking on the Labour Social gathering 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 Principal Line (WCML), which lacks the capability for double-length carriages and high-speed curves, it could lead to a “worse practice service than we’ve at present received.”
Initially supposed to attach London and Manchester, HS2 was scaled again in 2023 below Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to save lots of £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 mission would resolve regional transport points at a fraction of HS2’s unique price. He emphasised that Britain dangers “sleepwalking towards 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He additionally expressed help for extending HS2 from Outdated Oak Frequent into London’s Euston Station, stating that “folks within the North of England ought to be capable of get into the center of our capital metropolis.”
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 fulfill future calls for.