HS2 to offer slower trains and reduced capacity on West Coast Mainline, MPs told

Sir John Thompson, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd, has told MPs on the House of Commons’ Transport Select Committee that cancelling HS2’s northern leg between Birmingham, Crewe and Manchester would mean reduced capacity and slower services than at present.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the cancellation of the new high-speed railway line between Birmingham, Crewe and Manchester during his address to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in Autumn 2023, citing spiralling costs of the project. HS2’s Chief Executive, however, has told MPs that the London to Birmingham leg alone was likely to cost in excess of £66 billion and was being driven up by inflation of construction materials and the high cost of upgrades to its southern terminus at Euston.

Sir John Thompson also warned that HS2 trains would not be able to match the speed and capacity of current rolling stock when using the existing West Coast Mainline beyond Birmingham. Pendolino trains currently in use between London and Manchester, and services through Crewe to North Wales, the North-west and Scotland are capable of tilting on bends, reducing the need to decelerate before turns.

Services running beyond Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester would also need to use fewer carriages with a lower capacity than those used on Pendolino trains, reducing the number of passengers able to travel on already crowded services. Works to extend or build platforms at both Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly stations that can accommodate longer HS2 trains were also cancelled as part of the scaling back of the project, meaning shorter trains will be required for services between the North West and London.

Thompson also criticised the government’s process for budgeting for large projects, arguing that the original £30 billion estimated cost was needed to be decided before detailed designs for the route were in place. He also added that additional tunnels in the Chilterns on the approach to London, as well as ‘cut and cover’ tunnels through countryside in the Midlands in response to local opposition to the build had also contributed to costs escalating well beyond original budgets.

Under revised plans for HS2 announced last autumn, HS2 trains would use existing track to connect with Crewe, Manchester Airport, and Manchester rather than on a newly-built line. Funds saved from cancelling the work are to be redistributed to other transport projects around the country. In Crewe, HS2 funding was also set to support regeneration in the town, with Cheshire East Council now considering legal action against the government over the cancellation of the project.