Labour will not revive the northern leg of HS2 axed by the Conservatives, as the new Government aims to prioritise improving rail links across the north.
It has pledged to introduce a raft of new transport legislation in the King’s Speech, but has vowed not to continue with the high-speed link between Birmingham and Manchester.
Instead, it will repurpose the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, to improve rail links from east to west across the North of England.
Supporters of HS2 had hoped that the change in government would breathe fresh life into the second phase of the rail link running north from Handsacre, in Staffordshire, via Crewe to Manchester.
However, in the document setting out its proposed legislation, the Government states: “We are not reversing the decision to cancel the second phase of HS2.
“Instead, we are repurposing the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill to provide powers to construct and operate rail projects which improve east to west connectivity across the north of England.”
The bill will enable key rail infrastructure to be delivered in and around Manchester, including the construction of new stations at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport to ensure vastly improved rail services between Liverpool and Manchester and through to West Yorkshire.
The measures fall under the commitment to develop Northern Powerhouse Rail – once dubbed Crossrail of the North by Boris Johnson – in a bid to bring connectivity in the region closer to that enjoyed in London and the South East.
It forms part of Transport Secretary Louise Haigh’s plans to focus on boosting rail use – seen as a key driver of economic growth and a more environmentally friendly means of travel – in what is a major departure from the previous government’s focus on motorists.
While the second phase of HS2 will not be resurrected, there remain hopes that a new rail line linking Birmingham and Manchester could still be developed along the same route, under proposals put forward by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former Tory West Midlands mayor Andy Street.
i understands that the proposals, which would aim to raise funding from the private sector, have not been dismissed by the new Government.
There remain questions, however, over what will happen to the hundreds of transport projects promised by the former Conservative government under its Network North plan.
The King’s Speech also set out plans to renationalise the railways and bring operators under a new arms’ length body, known as Great British Railways.
Avanti West Coast could be the first operator to be stripped of its franchise as part of Labour’s plan to nationalise the railways.
The Conservative government was highly criticised for giving Avanti a new long-term contract in 2023 despite ongoing concerns about its performance on the country’s flagship rail line which connects cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.
Speaking before the election, Ms Haigh said Avanti was providing a “woeful” service to passengers.
“Our commitment is to bring in those contracts as they expire or when they are breached, and I anticipate I will be seeking advice early on whether Avanti has been in breach of its contract,” she told SkyNews.
Transport leaders in the North have already made clear they believe Avanti’s performance is not good enough and they want to see it stripped of the franchise.
Campaign group WeOwnIt, which has lobbied for public services including rail to nationalised, also backed those calls.
Johnbosco Nwogbo, lead campaigner for rail, told i: “The threshold has already been reached.
“The Avanti contract should not have been renewed to begin with.
“The Secretary of State Lou Haigh has been quite critical and the Department for Transport should take the next step.
“Avanti’s performance has not improved, they were having problems with drivers not working overtime, that has been resolved and the line is still among the worst in the country.”
Mr Nwogbo said the previous government had been reluctant to bring operators into public ownership but Labour’s position is the opposite.
“I think Lou Haigh will move on Avanti quickly,” he added.
WeOwnIt is also calling for the government to look at bringing rolling stock into public ownership.
“Nationalisation is not a panacea, it’s a first step,” Mr Nwogbo added.
“We still need to properly invest in the infrastructure. Labour need to be ambitious and go further.”
HS2 Manchester route not sold off yet
i has revealed that land worth £500m that was purchased for HS2 has still not been sold off by the government despite promises by Rishi Sunak.
As part of the cancellation of the Birmingham to Manchester leg, the previous administration had announced land that had been bought and was no longer needed would be sold, with the process slated to begin within weeks of Mr Sunak’s initial announcement.
He and the Department for Transport had planned to immediately begin land sales on the project in order to prevent any future Labour government from resurrecting the policy.
Pro-HS2 campaigners described the decision to sell the land as “spiteful”. Liverpool Mayor and HS2 supporter Steve Rotherham said it had “killed [HS2] stone dead”.
i understands that the land sales never actually began. HS2 sceptics in the DfT had attempted to begin the sales process earlier this year, but had yet to begin when the election was called.
The initial phase of land sales would have seen small amounts of agricultural land sold back to farmers. But it has not happened and it is unclear when the sales will begin under Labour.