Was HS2 decision right? Transport Committee quizzes experts
The Transport Committee questions experts on the Government’s recent decision to scrap the Birmingham-to-Manchester sections of HS2.
Meeting details
Purpose of the session
Questions will first focus on whether the decision made economic sense, how the Government has calculated that the decision represents the best value-for-money option, and how the value-for-money case for phase 1 of the project is affected by the cancellation of further phases.
There will be questions about how the decision impacts efforts to improve connectivity in the north and midlands, and the possible effects on the wider economy in those areas.
The cross-party Committee will also be interested in the impact of the decision on rail capacity for passengers and freight, particularly for parts of the network that are prone to overcrowding such as the West Coast Main Line.
Among the witnesses will be Nigel Harris, former editor of Rail Magazine, and Richard Bowker, former Chief Executive of the Strategic Rail Authority. Harris and Bowker are both regular commentators on the UK’s rail industry and co-host the Green Signals podcast.
Also on the panel are Professor Andrew McNaughton, Chair of Network Rail (High Speed) Ltd and former Technical Director of HS2 Ltd; Richard Morris, a Rail Consultant and former Managing Director of Crossrail; and Tom Worsley, Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Transport Studies at University of Leeds who has written about the complexity of appraising the benefits of transport projects like HS2.