By Ethan Davies

Future train passengers heading to the capital from Manchester and Stockport will arrive in London at a much-changed Euston Station — but it could be years before transport chiefs plan what it will look like.

The Birmingham-Manchester phase of HS2 was cancelled by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the party's annual conference in Manchester last October, saying spiralling costs in the London-Birmingham element made it prohibitively expensive. The move sparked outrage from political leaders in Manchester like mayor Andy Burnham and council leader Bev Craig.

Now, a major report into the cancellation of HS2 phase two — as it was officially designated — has been released by the National Audit Office (NAO). It has found the cost of ending the project early will be around £100 million, and it will still take three years to do so.

The report also reveals some redundant infrastructure will be constructed, even though there is no need to build it. It explained: "The Department for Transport's (DfT) general principle is to stop work where it is no longer needed for Phase 1 unless it would cost more to stop or change plans. 

"As a result, some infrastructure work may be completed that is not needed for Phase 1. For example, DfT has decided that all platforms will still be built at Birmingham Curzon Street station, although they will not all be made operational as part of the HS2 programme, to avoid unnecessary costs."

Avanti runs frequent services along the West Coast Mainline from Stockport to London (Image - Nub News)

Another issue facing DfT is that HS2 trains are still set to run from Birmingham to Manchester, albeit at lower speeds on existing track. However, HS2 trains have fewer seats than standard trains — so the rail network will have less capacity to move people along the key route 'unless changes are made to existing infrastructure and stations to accommodate longer trains', the report goes on.

Another option to solve this potential capacity issue is to 'manage demand', the NAO suggests, i.e. discouraging people from using trains after investing billions in railway infrastructure.

But another issue facing transport chiefs picking up the pieces of HS2 is what to do with Euston Station. The previous government said it would undergo a revamp — but the report, written before Labour took power at the general election, says 'plans for resetting Euston station and surrounding wider development are at an early stage'.

"[DfT] has not yet decided on its scope, funding, or governance," it adds. "We reported in March 2023 that DfT and HS2 Ltd had failed to develop an affordable and viable station that integrated with other activity at Euston and needed to reset the project again, having previously reset it in 2020.

"While (as a result of the October 2023 announcement) the HS2 station will be smaller, the scope of the Euston programme is now larger, incorporating more commercial development and new housing beyond the boundary of the station site.

"DfT intends that the smaller HS2 station, private funding and a new delivery model will help address affordability and integration. DfT has progressed with developing minimum requirements for the station and options for a new delivery model ahead of ministerial approval. 

"However, it is at an earlier stage in considering how cost and risk will be transferred and what the long-term governance arrangements at Euston will be. DfT expects it may be several years before it could put all these arrangements in place. Some works may need to proceed ahead of this to avoid delays and potentially higher long‑term costs, and these may require public funding."

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (Image - LDRS)

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham 'the idea that we are going to make rail services worse by the middle of the century is a complete non-starter'. He added: "A different plan is needed. This is an urgent problem that needs a coherent solution.

"No-one is talking about going back to HS2, but there has to be additional capacity between the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. This could be done through expanding and upgrading the West Coast Main Line, although the NAO warns that this would be very disruptive. I see a new, lower-cost, dedicated line as the only real solution.

"It would therefore be a mistake for the government to have a fire sale of the land it has bought to build HS2. Around £600m has already been spent, there is no way the government would recover that value. The best thing is to use that land to pave the way for the new line."

In response to the report, new Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: "We are reviewing this report's findings, alongside the position we have inherited on HS2 and wider transport infrastructure and will set out next steps in due course.

"Transport is an essential part of our mission to rebuild Britain – and we're committed to delivering infrastructure that works for the whole country."

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