HS2's axed eastern leg is a 'bitter disappointment' - Chamber

Business leaders have expressed 'bitter disappointment' over the cancellation of HS2's eastern leg from Birmingham to Leeds.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, confirmed the outcome of the long-delayed Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) yesterday, claiming that a "rethink was needed".

Mr Shapps explained that his new blueprint will deliver three high-speed lines: Crewe to Manchester; Birmingham to the East Midlands, with HS2 lines continuing to central Nottingham and central Derby and Sheffield and Chesterfield on an upgraded mainline.

However, the axing of a new East Midlands-Leeds high-speed line, with HS2 trains now to run on existing upgraded routes, and a scaling back of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project, has draw strong condemnation amid feelings that the news is a 'missed opportunity'.

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) said: “There were many eye-catching announcements included in the long awaited release of the Government 's Integrated Rail Plan however we cannot get away from the bitter disappointment that HS2 will not be delivered in full as originally promised by the Prime Minister.

“In essence it 's a missed opportunity - delivering the project in its entirety would have freed up more capacity on local networks and taken more freight journeys off our congested road networks - ultimately, bringing about substantial environmental benefits.

“Here in Birmingham we 've seen first-hand the wider investment and job creation that the commitment to HS2 has brought to our region and let 's not forget the number of local areas away from the line of route that stand to benefit from the project.
“We appreciate the economic landscape has drastically changed as a result of the pandemic and a £96bn fiscal commitment is hugely welcomed - however, delivering HS2 and NPR in full would have acted as a catalyst for 'levelling up ' in practice and spread prosperity across all four corners of the country -it now remains to be seen whether these new plans will have the same desired impact.

“From a local perspective, Greater Birmingham is still in a strong position to benefit from today 's announcements and we look forward to finding out more about the Government 's commitment to the Midlands Rail Hub - a project which has received positive backing from the local business community for a number of years."

To read more about the IRP and what it means for our region, click here