Economic Benefit Of HS2 Not As High As Claimed

The economic benefit to the country of HS2 high-speed rail will not be as great as first predicted, according to a report by the scheme's promoters.

It had been estimated that for every £1 spent on the £50bn project the wider economic benefit would be £2.50.

However, this has been revised and a report published today revealed that for every £1 spent the wider economic benefit would be just £2.30.

The drop will be seized upon by critics of the project, who question whether the benefits of high-speed rail will outweigh both the financial and environmental costs.

Labour is questioning the cost of the project and shadow chancellor Ed Balls has indicated that the party may withdraw its support, which the Prime Minister has in turn suggested would mean the project might not go ahead.

Tory heartlands: the Chilterns where a viaduct will be built for HS2

However, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, today accuses Labour of "playing politics" with the scheme.

In a speech at a rail conference on Tuesday Mr McLoughlin was expected to say: "Let me say something very direct to those in the opposition who have learnt nothing from the past.

"You can't say one day you back better infrastructure only the next threaten to stop it being built.

"You can't go on claiming to want one nation if you won't back the things that will bring it together. You can't play politics with our prosperity. The new north-south line is a multibillion, multi-year investment in the future of Britain.

Opponents question whether benefits will outweigh the costs

"And to those who say there's no blank cheque, I just say: that's obvious. Did anyone ever claim there was? Britain has shown it can build great infrastructure like HS1 or the Olympics on time and on budget."

Following the publication of today's HS2 report, Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin said: "As we expected, the Government have pulled some random figures out of the air in a desperate attempt to con the public.

"As if by magic, they expect us to believe that, after three years, the economic case for HS2 has risen like a phoenix from the flames. They surely must realise that everyone is going to see through this cynical attempt at spin.

"Every case they have put up for HS2 so far has been torn apart, and this one will be no different."

Presenting the report, The Strategic Case for HS2, the HS2 Ltd said the revisions on economic benefit were based on a recalculation of the number of business travellers using the 225mph trains and the amount of work they do on trains.

The London to Birmingham phase will be completed by 2026

However, it added that the economic benefit would increase to £4.50 for every £1 spend on the project if rail demand continued to rise until 2049.

The first phase of the project will link London to Birmingham by 2026, the second phase will provide a y-shaped extension to both Leeds and Manchester by 2033.

The report also drew on one published by Network Rail and engineering company Atkins, which said there would be 14 years of weekend engineering work on the railways if HS2 did not go ahead.

Mr McLoughlin told Sky News that the high-speed rail line, which goes through Tory heartlands, must go ahead to serve the "great cities of this country outside of London" and to generate investment there.

Trains will run at 225mph and carry 1,100 passengers

He said that in the last 20 years the number of rail passengers had doubled from 750m to 1.5bn and that the railways needed greater capacity.

Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh said: "Labour has always supported HS2 because we must address the capacity problems that mean thousands of commuters face cramped, miserable journeys into cities like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and London.

"However, we cannot give a Government that is mismanaging this, or any project, a blank cheque. Our message to David Cameron is clear. Get a grip on this project, get control of the budget and get it back on track."

The 400m long trains, carrying 1,100 passengers, would run at the rate of 14 an hour for the first phase of the project and this would increase to 18 when the full line is completed.

Journey times from London to Birmingham would be just 49 minutes, while trips to Manchester from London would be just one hour eight minutes and to Leeds, one hour 22 minutes.

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