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Economic Development

West Midlands, Leeds and Manchester leaders demand decision over HS2

Trio of regional politicians all speak in favour of high-speed rail project as country continues to await outcome of 2019's review

Concept designs for new HS2 trains but will the project still be going ahead?

A trio of regional politicians have joined forces to demand the Government makes a decision over the future of HS2.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese and his Leeds counterpart Judith Blake have all spoken in favour of the high-speed rail line in Parliament.

The trio, who represent three of Britain's biggest economic powerhouses outside London, were attending a meeting at the House of Commons with Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris.

Mr Heaton-Harris insisted the Government was yet to make a decision about whether to scrap HS2 even though a review into the proposed rail line led by its former chairman Douglas Oakervee completed its work last year.

Mr Street, who was a member of that review panel, said it was rather strange the Government was still refusing to publish the findings.

He said: "I am probably the only person in this room, other than the minister, who knows exactly what the Oakervee review says because I sat on it.

"What I am utterly confident of, having done the work on the review, is that there is a strong economic case which will eventually win through."

 

He added that investors would feel betrayed if HS2 were scrapped now, after the first phase of the line, due to run between London and Birmingham, was approved by Parliament in 2015.