HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

I've been watching the new Alan Partridge series. You can probably guess that he's against HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)).

Whilst looking back on his career he said, "It's summer 2023, Britain is sweltering in record temperatures, HS2 has just been cancelled, correctly, in my view - who wants to get to the north quicker?" 

Sound advice as ever from Alan Partridge - here's some more (in the railway context) that's worth observing....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NBKHtSpTdE

[IndustryInsider]

“Go on, give him another series!”

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) goal to be running by 2033 'cannot be met'

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Earlier this year, HS2 CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) Mark Wild acknowledged that construction had been "harder than thought" and "needed a reset"

HS2 has confirmed that its aim to get trains running between Birmingham and London between 2029 and 2033 "cannot be achieved".

Birmingham's Curzon Street Station is currently taking shape in the heart of the city but the divisive high-speed railway project has been plagued by serious challenges.

Earlier this year, HS2 CEO Mark Wild acknowledged that construction had been "harder than thought" and "needed a reset" involving a review of the project's cost and schedule.

In an end of year update, HS2 insisted that significant progress had been made throughout 2025 with the project now at an "advanced stage of a comprehensive reset". However, it went on to say that Mr Wild had "provided advice" to the government confirming that the railway's 2029/2033 opening schedule could not be achieved. "HS2 Ltd has since been finalising a new range of credible cost and schedule estimates," a statement read.

In this latest update, Mr Wild said he made a commitment to address "the failures of the past and get HS2 on track".

"It's clear that we can only do so with a fundamental reset," he continued. "Over the last year we've been through the programme with a fine tooth comb and we're now very close to establishing a clear path forward. We've shown what can be done and I expect that to continue throughout 2026 and beyond as we deliver HS2 as safely and efficiently as possible and for the lowest reasonable cost."

A number of changes have been made already as part of the reset, including "toughening up" cost controls; strengthening the leadership team and reshaping HS2 into a "less bureaucratic organisation". It has also established a new construction schedule to prioritise completing the initial phase of the railway between Old Oak Common in London and Birmingham.

In its latest update, HS2 said it was at "peak production", with all 23 miles of deep-bore tunnels having now been excavated on the opening section of the railway between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street.

"Figures show 70% of the project's vast earthworks programme has now been delivered," it continued. "Almost 300,000 tonnes of steel has been used – 69% of that required for the railway. HS2 is now focused on completing the complex civil engineering programme across the 140-mile route, ahead of the next vital stage when the track, signalling and communications systems are installed."

HS2 also said it has increased the number of staff in front-line construction roles to help "drive productivity" and that construction partners exceeded many targets set for them this year.

[TaplowGreen]

To save time on reading the whole article I will summarise -  it's going to cost a lot more and take a lot longer.

[Chris from Nailsea]

To save time on reading the whole article I will summarise - it's going to cost a lot more and take a lot longer.

That could be included as the 'Executive Summary' in any official document relating to the railways. 

[ChrisB]

From The Telegraph, via MSN

HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) bought hundreds of people’s homes – and now makes millions renting them out

HS2 is raking in £14m a year as a landlord, including letting out homes bought along the cancelled legs of the railway.

Of the 782 homes which have been voluntarily bought along the route of the high-speed railway since 2012, when the project began, 602 have been rented out, data released to The Telegraph under Freedom of Information rules showed.

Nearly half of the rental properties are on the cancelled legs – Phase 2 – of the project, which would have run from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds but was scrapped in 2023 under the then prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Between Birmingham and Crewe, 121 of the 122 homes bought have been rented.

The average monthly rent for homes along Phase 1, between London and Birmingham, is more than £2,100, while for the second leg up to Manchester, average monthly rents are lower, at £1,733.

Taking the average rent from Phase 1 and Phase 2, this means HS2 Ltd – the company responsible for delivering the project – is making more than £14.1m a year as a landlord. Meanwhile, the project is projected to cost the taxpayer £81bn.

Joanna Marchong, of the Adam Smith Institute think tank, said: “It is unlikely that these funds are being channelled back into the Exchequer, or whether they are contributing to lowering the cost of this doomed mega-project.

“HS2 should explain why it is undertaking this practice and whether these rents are offsetting taxpayer funding or just being recirculated for executive bonuses.”

Penny Gaines, chairman of campaign group Stop HS2, said: “£14m from rent might sound like a lot of money, but it is dwarfed by the ongoing cost of HS2. The latest figures show that HS2 cost the Government more than £7bn for the last year, so however much they have taken in rent, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the continuing cost of HS2.”

“Meanwhile, the Government is about to start selling off land and properties it purchased for HS2. Stop HS2 thinks that they should be offered back to the original owners at the price HS2 paid for it.”

Ms Gaines added: “It looks like HS2 will end up being a vastly extravagant shuttle service from the suburbs of London to somewhere near the centre of Birmingham. They should put the whole project out of its misery and cancel it entirely as soon as possible.”

Most of the rental contracts are periodic – meaning they renew month to month or over a set time frame – although some are guaranteed for as long as two years.

But the renters will not benefit from the changes brought in by the Renters’ Rights Act, which will ban Section 21 “no-fault” eviction notices and outlaw fixed-term contracts. This is because the properties are Crown tenancies.

An HS2 source confirmed that it would comply with all applicable changes introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act.

These requirements could delay any later sell-off of the purchased homes, with court delays running to several months. Previously, HS2 allowed those who sold their homes to the railway to “rent back” the property until work commenced.

The rail project – which was first proposed 13 years ago – will not be in operation until at least 2033, following delays and changed plans.

In October 2023, the then prime minister Rishi Sunak cancelled the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the route, with Sir Keir Starmer’s administration confirming a year later that it would not revive the full project. It was reported at the time that £600m had already been spent on properties along the northern route.

The eastern leg of the original HS2 plans, which would have run from Birmingham to Leeds, was cancelled in 2021.

The scheme, approved in 2012 in its original three-pronged form between London, Manchester and Leeds, was expected to cost £33bn. This was revised up to £57.5bn in 2015, with the final cost now estimated at £81bn in 2019 prices.

Once inflation has been taken into account, this represents a final bill of more than £100bn.

The chief executive of HS2, Mark Wild, is overseeing a cost-cutting reset, which will deliver new estimates of the total cost of the project. He is expected to deliver an update to ministers in January.

In November, it was announced that HS2 was planning a fire sale of surplus land in an effort to offload land that is no longer required around stations and the main depot on the 140-mile London to Birmingham line.

The announcement, which contradicted original plans to hold on to the land until the line was open, came months after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the project as an “appalling mess”, and said its opening would be delayed beyond 2033.

Parliamentary powers allowing the Government to begin work on the cancelled line to Crewe will expire early next year. A link with the West Coast Mainline has been delayed for at least four years.

Labour has committed to Northern Powerhouse Rail, with Rachel Reeves reiterating this at the Budget last month, but details on funding and routes are light.

A spokesman for HS2 Ltd said: “Rent charged on properties acquired for HS2 is income for the taxpayer – ultimately offsetting costs incurred by the project.

“Hundreds of properties spanning a variety of prices were voluntarily sold to the Government for the new high-speed rail network.

“Routing the line through less populated rural areas meant that large, detached dwellings situated on their own land formed a significant number of total purchases. As a result, the concentration of high-value properties in our rental portfolio affects average rental prices. Wherever possible, they are let out at market rates.”

A DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) spokesman said: “We will dispose of surplus property in a sensitive and sensible way, including developing a disposal strategy that ensures we do not flood local markets and achieve the best outcome for the taxpayer.”

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

New Birmingham-Manchester rail link to be proposed

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The Northern Powerhouse rail project is aimed at cutting travel times between northern cities and towns

The government is set to announce its intention to build a new rail link between Birmingham and Manchester, the BBC understands.

Previous plans for the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) high-speed rail line had included a line between the two cities, but that part of the project was scrapped by Rishi Sunak's government.

On Wednesday, the government is also expected to confirm proposals for new and improved rail links across the North of England in a scheme known as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR^▸ (Northern Powerhouse Rail)). Little detail about a new Birmingham to Manchester route is anticipated, other than the intention to build it after NPR is completed, meaning it may not happen for decades.

Plans to bring high-speed rail to the north of England were first put forward by former Conservative chancellor George Osborne in 2014.

A new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester is seen a central piece of the overall Northern Powerhouse rail project, which is aimed at cutting travel times between northern cities and towns as well as boosting the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) economy outside of London. But expected announcements from the current government were put on ice several times last year due to cost concerns.

Insiders said an extended review process of the project was under way in a bid to avoid mistakes made with HS2, which has been dogged by problems and costly delays.

HS2 is currently tens of billions of pounds over budget and around a decade behind schedule. Reports state that the now-shortened line between Birmingham and London could cost £81bn. Accounting for inflation, that would mean at least £100bn will be spent but only 135 miles of railway built.

HS2 Ltd, the company created by the Department for Transport, has accepted it failed to keep overall costs under control and said delivery has not matched what it described as the unrealistic early expectations.

[Noggin]

The suggestion is that the Mayors of Liverpool and Manchester (Rotherem and Burnham) will be allowed to develop the proposals for a HS^▸ (High Speed (short for HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) High Speed Services)) line between the two via Manchester Airport, presumably providing that they can get developers to pay for the bulk of the project, which is not inconceivable if they are left to their own devices.

As that's the expensive (and politically difficult bit of the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) project), the extension of HS2 to Middlewich "when HS2 is open and the NPR^▸ (Northern Powerhouse Rail) line is ready" is presumably a fairly cheap commitment to make, justifies retaining existing land holdings etc.

Rotherem supposedly wants the HS terminus on the Liverpool Central site, already the busiest station on the Merseyrail lines, with a rejig of Merseyrail as part of the project.   

The original plan had HS2 going to high-level platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, so will be interesting to see what the proposal is for Manchester 

[Oxonhutch]

As the present platforms at Manchester Picc are already at high level (The Metrolink trams in the undercroft are at ground level), I would be interested to see how that would work.

[grahame]

The original plan had HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) going to high-level platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, so will be interesting to see what the proposal is for Manchester 

I remember seeing pictures of Mayfield and seem to remember it existing quite recently. any scope there?

[Oxonhutch]

I remember seeing pictures of Mayfield and seem to remember it existing quite recently. any scope there?

The site is still there with platforms and buildings but disappointingly appears to have been earmarked for non-railway redevelopment.

[Sixty3Closure]

Without trying to delve into politics my first thought on reading about this is that it was a bit light on dates and actual commitment and will probably not get built.

[Noggin]

As the present platforms at Manchester Picc are already at high level (The Metrolink trams in the undercroft are at ground level), I would be interested to see how that would work.

The original HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) plan has the new lines on the east side of the station.

Actually my guess is that they would put the platforms underneath Piccadilly and then follow the alignment of the proposed 1970's Picc-Vicc tunnels to get to Victoria and the Transpennine line, with an extra west-bound branch to enable Manchester to Glasgow HS^▸ (High Speed (short for HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) High Speed Services)).

In Antwerp they put platforms on two levels, a lower one for HS services and an upper level for regional services. If I were Andy Burnham I'd be looking at ways to do that and have a few intermediate stations to effectively build an S-Bahn.

A pair of tunnels for regional services would also have the benefit of reducing traffic on the Oxford Road corridor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picc-Vic_tunnel

[Red Squirrel]

According to Rail

RAIL understands that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) still holds the land between Birmingham and Crewe with HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s))’s compulsory purchase order powers for the now-cancelled Phase 2 expire on February 11. It’s thought discussions are under way to decide how to proceed.

[Mark A]

One Uy Hoang has captured, for Google Streetview, a glimpse of actual tangible HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) phase 2a embankment - from the towpath of the Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Mark

https://tinyurl.com/3vje36vw