A report from the High-Speed Rail Group warns that the government’s plan to sell off 2,900 acres of HS2 Phase 2a land between Birmingham and Crewe would be a mistake
Based on current land values, it’s estimated that the government would only make around £100m from the sale of Phase 2a land, far less than the £200m initially invested by taxpayers.
Due to the risk of financial loss to the taxpayer, the industry group urges the government to delay land sales until consultation involving local authorities, businesses, and rail stakeholders has occurred.
Why is HS2 Phase 2a being sold off?
The plans come after the northern section of the HS2 project, linking Birmingham to Manchester, was scrapped due to rising costs.
Passengers from London can only travel as far as Birmingham on HS2 before switching to the existing West Coast Mainline to Manchester.
According to the High-Speed Rail Group’s analysis, Phase 2a is the most crucial part of the railway route. Without it, a permanent and irreversible bottleneck would be created at Colwich Junction in Staffordshire, severely limiting rail services’ capacity on the West Coast Main Line.
Current plans would congest the rail system
A spokesperson for the High-Speed Rail Group compared the current proposal to funnelling traffic from the M40, which connects London to Birmingham, into an already congested A-road and then onto a narrow country lane.
They emphasised the inefficiency and potential problems this would cause.
“It is a recipe to lock in insufficient services and delayed trains for decades. At a time of extremely difficult public finances, the country surely cannot contemplate accepting a £100m loss of taxpayer’s money like this,” said the spokesperson.
“Land sales simply should not proceed until there has been a full analysis and consultation with stakeholders. Smart countries keep their options open for the future. Whilst the Government say they cannot fund HS2 north of Birmingham today, we need to protect the option to build it in future when public finances allow,” they continued.
“A premature and hasty sale of public land would not only cost huge amounts of money but lock in the north-south gap for generations to come. The Government needs to think again,” concluded the spokesperson.
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