HS2 east leg scrapped in Integrated Rail Plan

Announced yesterday (Thursday 18th November), the plan promises to deliver benefits ‘sooner than previously expected’ with journey times described as ‘the same as, similar to or faster than the previous proposals’.

The build of HS2 will continue with the next phase to be completed from Crewe to Manchester, but the majority of the Eastern leg — originally proposed to go from Birmingham to Leeds — has been scrapped beyond the East Midlands. A new high-speed line will be built between Birmingham and East Midlands Parkway, and trains will continue to central Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield via an upgraded, electrified Midland Main Line.

Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) build plans have been scaled back with most of the work to be undertaken as upgrades or electrification of the existing TransPennine line. A new high-speed line will be built between Warrington, Manchester and Marsden.

The Department for Transport said that Transport for North’s options for full new build high-speed line were ‘carefully studied’, but would have taken up to a decade longer to deliver at the cost of an extra £18bn whilst delivering just a four minute journey time improvement between Leeds and Manchester.