The eastern leg of HS2 could terminate at the little-used East Midlands Parkway station on the Nottinghamshire/Leicestershire border, according to a Government-commissioned report.
On the back of years of delays and spiralling costs, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) today raised fresh doubts over the viability of extending the high-speed track eastwards from Birmingham to Leeds via the East Midlands.
It said phase 2b should be drastically scaled back, with a terminus at Parkway where passengers could join the existing mainline network to head further north.
READ MORE: {}
Senior politicians and business leaders have reacted angrily to the suggestions, saying it would "short-change millions of people across the Midlands".
East Midlands councils and developers have invested heavily in proposals to create billions of pounds worth of transport links, industry and housing around a planned HS2 hub at Toton, near Nottingham. They fear that might now be cancelled.
The plans have even been built into proposals for an East Midlands Development Corporation, which also takes in land around Chetwynd, in Nottingham, Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station and East Midlands Airport. In all, 80,000 jobs are planned.
Supporters say Toton is also key to improving the poor rail links between the East and West Midlands.
They say cancelling it would be devastating particularly as the NIC’s report appears to assume the second stage of Crossrail in London – previously estimated to cost £27 billion – should go ahead.
Most Read
Work on the main section of HS2 between London and Birmingham is now under way and expected to create 22,000 new jobs over the coming years.
The commission was asked by the Prime Minister in February for its input into the Government's Integrated Rail Plan. A final decision will be taken early in the new year.
Today's report says: "Under different scenarios, it is less clear to the commission that a hub station at Toton would still be the right solution for improving connectivity across the Midlands.
"Setting aside costs, Toton requires the development of a new site on railway brownfield, requiring the relocation of existing rail facilities and extensive work on nearby junctions. In addition, its location means that high-speed services would not directly serve any of the cities in the East Midlands, although Midlands Connect have proposed schemes that would provide direct services into Nottingham, with a new junction on the HS2 line and link to the conventional railway.
"An alternative option for consideration would be to improve the existing East Midlands Parkway station next to the Ratcliffe Power Station site, which was previously considered for the eastern leg of HS2 phase 2b.
"This is included in the packages prioritising regional links, as using East Midlands Parkway would better enable faster rail services between Nottingham and Birmingham."
Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, who chairs East Midlands Councils' Transport for the East Midlands group, said a terminus in countryside near East Midlands Airport risked mirroring Ebbsfleet in Kent, where major development involving transport fell short of expectations.
Don’t miss
He said: "It makes no sense for a transformational national transport project to end up at an isolated site that has never hit its passenger targets. The Parkway option would be another Ebbsfleet.
"A hub station at Toton would deliver a transformational transport project for our region which properly connects our cities – providing a direct route between Leicester and Leeds, for example – opening up new business and growth between two great destinations."
Nottinghamshire County Council leader Coun Kay Cutts, who chairs the HS2 East Midlands Board, said: "Parkway is in the middle of nowhere and was dismissed by feasibility studies for sound reasons - it is little-used, increases station costs and returns less to the economy.
"It also reduces transport connections to our communities, to the rest of the Midlands and up into the North. No assessment of an historic investment in infrastructure should ignore the needs of a region now nor the prosperity of its people in the future. Yet we fear the NIC's focus on upfront cost does just that.
"A clear understanding of the East Midlands economy would tell you that moving HS2 to Parkway is a poor deal for the region and poor value for 海角视频 taxpayers.
"We have spent years talking, planning and carrying out feasibility studies. In the wake of Covid, people want to see us get on and deliver. Levelling-up should mean that the East Midlands is no longer going to be treated like the poor relation.
"So let's see a positive decision from Government to build Toton and deliver HS2 East in full."
East Midlands Parkway station on the Midland Mainline was built in 2009 to provide a link to East Midlands Airport, even though it is five miles away.
East Midlands Councils said it had averaged half the 743,00 passengers a year that had been expected.
Maria Machancoses is the director of Midlands Connect, part of the Midlands Engine, which was set up to bring infrastructure and other economic investment into the region.
She said: "Some of the options in this report are very concerning. Sacrificing parts of the high-speed network now would short-change millions of people across the Midlands and undermine our efforts to deliver a transport network fit for the 21st century.
Find out how Birmingham is becoming more sustainable and socially inclusive
Business experts in the West Midlands have used a new YouGov survey to explore how the region's cities and towns are key to overall prosperity.
The findings were uncovered at a virtual event hosted by international law firm Trowers and Hamlins, examining how our everyday environment drives our understanding of prosperity in our urban centres.
Participants included the West Midlands Combined Authority, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Wolverhampton City Council, as well as local property developers.
Members were prompted to question how investments in Birmingham can deliver the best results for those who live and work there.
"HS2 must be delivered in its entirety, including its eastern leg from Birmingham to Leeds, alongside Midlands Engine Rail.
"To stall, scale down or delay now will cause irreparable economic damage to communities across the region - especially the East Midlands which has suffered from a chronic under-investment in infrastructure for decades.
"A decade of planning has gone into making Toton not only HS2's East Midlands hub but also the site of thousands of new homes, a new centre for renewable energy and an innovation campus.
"East Midlands Parkway was assessed as a possible location for HS2’s East Midlands hub back in 2015. The evidence was as clear then as it is now, this is not the best option - doing this would create fewer jobs, attract less investment and stifle regeneration.
"Going over this old ground once again is a waste of time and resources - we need to get building now."
Derby City Council leader Coun Chris Poulter, who is a member of the East Midlands HS2 executive board, said: "What industry wants to see is a commitment to HS2 East in full, not a station on the cheap which goes no further."
Chesterfield Borough Council leader Coun Tricia Gilby added: "We have worked with local business, landowners and communities on plans for major new development bringing hundreds of new jobs and we have investors knocking at the door.
"It makes no sense for the NIC to jeopardise all this potential at such a critical time for our economy as we recover from covid and prepare for Brexit.
"We owe it to future generations to deliver on the promise of growth that HS2 has provided."
East Midlands Chamber of Commerce chief executive Scott Knowles said: "This is time for real ambition and for turning round the woeful under-investment in transport in the East Midlands. Levelling-up means we should not be treated second best again."