HS2 phase 2 cancellation : what could/should happen now?

[Peter Sarf]

Network North in terms of the programme won't survive a change of govt if it even lasts until then, but most of the rail projects will. There's 3 main elements.

1. New stations (Cullompton, Wellington, Haxby, Ferryhill, Waverley & Meir). Haxby is part of New Stations Fund 3 with timebound funding conditions which heavily influenced the choice of location to permit delivery in time; whilst the others were part of RYR ideas funds 1 or 2, I'd expect these would be delivered early (within 18mths) and all have SOBCs.
2. Reopened lines proposals. Ivanhoe to Coalville had similar funding/time conditions which was why the council went for Derby-Coalville instead of Leicester as originally hoped for, so I think this was to be funded by RYR anyway. The others (Barrow Hill, Don Valley, Stoke-Leek, Oswestry-Gobowen, Plymouth-Tavistock) all has SOBCs via the RYR programme but there would never have been funding in a £500m budget to cover all those and so are gobbling up freed HS2 cash. Nonetheless, they all have business cases and some deliver improved connectivity in the north and could be claimed as part of Northern Powerhouse. RYR has been a good programme and I expect Labour might include a follow-on if they get in.
3. Line upgrade proposals - a lot of line electrification/upgrades that deliver huge part of NPR (Hull-Sheffield, Hull-Leeds, Sheffield-Leeds, Sheffield-MCR plus Penistone and Calder Valley lines announced outside of NN). Also the North Wales line electrification/upgrade. Labour have committed to a programme of rolling electrifications so these would likely constitute that with MML & TRU as the ongoing programmes.

What I can see Labour doing is binning some of the road schemes and safeguarding the 2a/2b routes - if we're really lucky then a Euston design permitting scaling beyond 6 platforms in future and possibly phase 2a given the marginal cost versus what is already sunk and the Handsacre Jn/WCML improvement costs.

My bold.
Would be worth replacing the acronyms so as to make it more readable for the majority.

 

[Arkeeos]

Network North in terms of the programme won't survive a change of govt if it even lasts until then, but most of the rail projects will. There's 3 main elements

That’s why I hesitate to call it a plan, given it’s just projects that are already proposed. Projects that are already somewhat likely to happen. Whether or not hs2 was cancelled or not, and I dont think the cancellation of hs2 increases the likelyhood of any of those projects happening.

 

[cinders&ashes]

My bold.
Would be worth replacing the acronyms so as to make it more readable for the majority.

MML = Midlands Mainline
TRU = Trans-Penine Route Upgrade
RYR =Restoring Your Railway programme
SOBC = Strategic Outline Business Case
MCR = Manchester
NN = Network North

 

[Snow1964]

Seems Government is lifting safeguarding of phase 2a, but still considering the northern part that might be needed for Northern Powerhouse Rail

I am today (18 January 2024) formally lifting the safeguarding directions for High Speed 2 (HS2) Phase 2a (between the West Midlands and Crewe). In doing so, this government is delivering on a commitment made in the command paper Network North: transforming British transport, published on 4 October 2023.
Safeguarding is a planning tool used to protect the land needed for the HS2 scheme from potential conflicting development. The safeguarding directions require the local authority to consult with HS2 Ltd on planning applications within the safeguarded land. By lifting safeguarding, the government provides certainty to people along the former route of HS2 and makes development easier, as HS2 Ltd will no longer object to proposed development in the area to which the safeguarding directions had applied.
To allow Phase One of HS2 to connect to the West Coast Main Line I am continuing to safeguard land close to Handsacre. This connection at Handsacre will:

• allow passengers to travel on HS2 trains through to Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland, joining the West Coast Main Line for the rest of their journeys
• reduce the journey time between London and Manchester by nearly half an hour (down to 100 minutes), facilitated through an upgrade of Handsacre Junction which will allow more trains to reach key destinations north of Birmingham

For areas where safeguarding has been removed, I have also today closed the Rural Support Zone, Extended Homeowner Protection Zone and Homeowner Payment schemes and will review existing applications on a case-by-case basis. This is because these schemes were established to support those impacted when the government intended to build Phase 2 of HS2. The Need to Sell scheme remains open for now as a ‘safety net’, for those who meet the criteria and have a compelling need to sell, until the blighting effect of HS2 has fully receded. Further information can be found on the claim compensation if your property is affected by HS2webpage.
High Speed 2 Limited (HS2 Ltd) is writing to the owners of properties affected by this update explaining what these changes mean to them personally. The Network North command paper also committed that Phase 2b safeguarding will be amended by summer 2024, to allow for any safeguarding needed for Northern Powerhouse Rail. I can confirm that this work is underway and I will set out further details regarding those areas that will come within the scope of these new safeguarding directions in due course.
The lifting of safeguarding is separate from the programme for disposing of any property no longer needed for the HS2 project which will begin shortly. More details will be set out soon.
I am depositing the High Speed 2 Handsacre connection to the West Coast Main Line safeguarding directions and guidance, the Handsacre West Coast Main Line safeguarding directions plans and the Handsacre West Coast Main Line safeguarding directions key plan in the libraries of both Houses.
Published 18 January 2024

HS2 safeguarding

Government will lift the safeguarding directions for HS2 between the West Midlands and Crewe.

www.gov.uk

 

[snowball]

Seems Government is lifting safeguarding of phase 2a, but still considering the northern part that might be needed for Northern Powerhouse Rail

This announcement already has its own thread in Stations and Infrastructure.

The northern part that might be needed for NPR is of course part of phase 2b.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Seems Government is lifting safeguarding of phase 2a, but still considering the northern part that might be needed for Northern Powerhouse Rail

HS2 safeguarding

Government will lift the safeguarding directions for HS2 between the West Midlands and Crewe.

www.gov.uk

Am I miss-understanding something as this, to me, indicates that there is no understanding of the need for Phase 2a for HS2. Not for now and not even when Phase 2B might happen.