HS2 Phase 1 takes priority to leave uncertainty over HS2-lite’ timescales

Prospects for an alternative to HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester have been thrown into confusion.

The Midlands-North West Rail Link, also known as ‘HS2 Lite’, is being promoted by the Mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. It is expected to follow the same route as the scrapped second phase of HS2, which was axed by Rishi Sunak in 2023.

Soon after coming to power, the new Labour government agreed not to dispose of any properties bought along the route through Staffordshire and Cheshire.

However, recent comments from Lord Hendy appear to indicate that the line is not a priority.

Speaking at a recent Transport Select Committee hearing, he made it clear that the immediate focus was to get costs and timings on Phase 1 from London to Birmingham under control.

Mayors Andy Burnham and Richard Parker are backing a plan put forward by engineering consultancy firm Arup and former chair of the Olympic Delivery Authority Sir David Higgins, to build a new, lower-specification rail link between the two cities up to 40% cheaper.

They fear a capacity shortfall in the mid-2030s which, unless addressed, could have a knock-on effect on growth in both regions.

Speaking to MPs at the hearing, Lord Hendy agreed that there would be capacity issues between the two cities unless something was done.

However, he said: “How we fix that, the way in which we fix it, and how it relates to the rest of the new railway infrastructure that everybody wants to see in the Midlands and the North, is something that we’ve got to work through.”

At the same hearing, the DfT’s Director General of Major Rail Projects Alan Over told MPs that capacity enhancements weren’t just about new infrastructure.

He said: “Can we achieve capacity improvements through smaller interventions, starting with rolling stock and how we use that, then moving on to small capacity increments, and then potentially contemplating bigger capacity improvements?”

Meanwhile, speaking to the Financial Times, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government’s transport focus was “connectivity within the north of England” rather than on the West Coast Main Line, as she promised to “hardwire” regional growth into the government’s objectives.

Latest comments on the scheme appear to back recent reports that construction of any HS2 alternative north of Birmingham might have to wait several years, possibly until the first phase of HS2 has been completed.

The Mayors of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester were approached for comment.