The cost of building the HS2 high speed rail line is out of control, a damning new report has found.
And the Government鈥檚 priority should be to improve rail services in the North of England - not to build a high speed line between London and Birmingham.
The findings were published by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, whose members include former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling and former Conservative Chancellor Norman Lamont.
They spoke to independent rail experts, government ministers and officials overseeing construction of the new HS2 rail network.
And they concluded: 鈥淲e are far from convinced by the Government鈥檚 claim that the whole High Speed 2 (HS2) project will be built within the 拢55.7bn budget.
鈥淭he costs do not appear to be under control鈥.
So far 拢4 billion has been spent on the first phase of HS2, which links London and Birmingham.
The Government is also committed to building a second phase, adding two sections to the line which will run from Birmingham to Leeds and from Birmingham to Manchester.
But phase two has not yet received Parliamentary approval and the inquiry warned that it might never happen if the first phase proves far more expensive than planned.
The Committee highlighted a warning from Sir Terry Morgan, the former chairman of HS2 Ltd, who said that 鈥渘obody knows鈥 what the final cost of the project will be.
Their report said: 鈥淲e are concerned that if costs overrun on the first phase of the project there will be insufficient funding for the second phase and the northern sections of the railway will not be built.
鈥淭he northern sections of High Speed 2 must not be sacrificed to make up for overspending on the railway鈥檚 southern sections.鈥
Transport authority Transport for the North, led by mayors and council leaders in the North of England, has drawn up plans for a rail network called Northern Powerhouse Rail, including a new high speed track between Yorkshire and the North West of England. There will also be improvements to existing tracks, including the line from Leeds to Newcastle.
But the plans largely involve extending the northern leg of HS2. It means that if phase two of HS2 is cancelled, Northern Powerhouse Rail would also be under threat.
The report warned: 鈥淩epresentatives of the northern cities said that the Northern Powerhouse Rail Programme could not be completed without the second phase of High Speed 2 being built.鈥
As a result, the inquiry said phase 2 of HS2 and the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme should be treated as one programme. They added: 鈥淔unding for Northern Powerhouse Rail should be ringfenced and bought forward where possible.鈥
And the report pointed out that the first phase 鈥渨ill run between Birmingham and London and has little benefit for northern cities.鈥
It continued: 鈥淭he Government鈥檚 priority for investment in British rail infrastructure should be the north of England.
鈥淧eople travelling into northern cities are depending on overcrowded and unreliable services.鈥
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee and a Conservative former Cabinet Minister, said: 鈥淐ommuter services in the north of England are badly overcrowded and reliant on ageing trains. Rail connections between northern cities are poor.
鈥淎s the Committee suggested in its 2015 report, rail infrastructure in the north should be the Government鈥檚 priority for investment, rather than improving north-south links which are already good.
鈥淭he north is being short-changed by the Government鈥檚 present plans, especially as construction on HS2 is starting in the south. Any overcrowding relief from HS2 will mainly benefit London commuters.鈥
He added: 鈥淭he plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail should be integrated with the plans for the northern section of HS2, and funding for the project ringfenced. This will allow rail investment in the north to be prioritised where it is most needed.鈥
Transport leaders in the West Midlands, Birmingham City Council and regional mayor Andy Street are firmly behind HS2.
The planned new line includes a new city centre station at Curzon Street and a second new "interchange" station near Birmingham Airport in Solihull.
An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: "We thank the Lords Economic Affairs Committee for its interest in Britain鈥檚 new high speed railway and will consider their recommendations as the project progresses.
"HS2 will generate around 拢92 billion in benefits to the 海角视频 economy, with local economic plans forecasting the creation of 500,000 jobs and nearly 90,000 new homes. Work is underway at over 250 locations and the scheme already supports more than 7,000 jobs directly and across our supply chain.
"As stated in the report, HS2 is fundamental to the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail. It is also vital to the Midlands Rail Hub, and will transform rail journeys across the Midlands and North, giving passengers thousands of extra seats every day, and taking freight of the roads. As regional leaders across the Midlands and North have repeatedly said, it鈥檚 not a case of either or, it鈥檚 both.
"We are determined to deliver a railway that is value for money for the taxpayer, and a project that will reshape the economic geography of the country. We have strengthened our controls and are actively applying lessons learnt from recent infrastructure projects to ensure we have the most cost-effective approach."
