SPENDING billions of pounds on the HS2 high-speed north-south rail link could be a waste of money, a House of Lords committee has suggested.
That’s because the government’s main arguments of increasing railway capacity and rebalancing the economy are still to be proven, said a report by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee.
overcrowding on the West Coast Main Line was largely a problem on commuter trains
BBC Business reported that Peers said there are less-expensive options than the £50Bn HS2 project.
Lord Hollick, chairman of the Lords’ committee, said overcrowding on the West Coast Main Line was largely a problem on commuter trains and on long-distance services on Friday nights and some weekends.
“The government have not carried out a proper assessment of whether alternative ways of increasing capacity are more cost-effective than HS2,” he said.
“In terms of rebalancing, London is likely to be the main beneficiary from HS2. Investment in improving rail links in the north of England might deliver much greater economic benefit at a fraction of the cost.”
Lord Hollick called on the Department for Transport (DoT) to provide detailed answers to the questions set out by the committee.
“Parliament should not approve the enabling legislation that will allow HS2 work to begin until we have satisfactory answers to these key questions,” he said.
