News

New HS2 route in south Yorkshire to save £1bn

 HS2 chairman David Higgins has unveiled alternative recommendations for HS2’s route and station proposals in South Yorkshire that could save £1bn.

A new report proposes that HS2 services between London and Sheffield would take a spur off the new north-south high speed line and travel directly to the existing Sheffield Midland station using the existing railway line.  These trains therefore could potentially also call at Chesterfield.

There is also the future option of HS2 services extending onwards to the existing Meadowhall station, Rotherham, or Barnsley.  

A city centre station solution for Sheffield high speed services would allow the main HS2 line to be built east of the previously proposed route, through less densely populated areas that would avoid the complexities of building a line via Meadowhall.

The newly proposed route would cut journey times on services heading to Leeds, York and Newcastle, and would also reduce the cost of the project by around £1billion. Last week Higgins acknowledged that the Phase 2 project costs are a lot further over budget than planned and it’s clear that savings need to be found.

HS2 Ltd is also investigating the possibility of a parkway station on this newly proposed route, which in part follows the M18 motorway.

Announcing his proposals, HS2 Ltd chairman, David Higgins said: “Projects of HS2’s size, scale and significance should seek to provide the maximum benefit for the people they serve. I have listened to the very constructive comments and discussions that have taken place on how HS2 should best serve south Yorkshire and recommend the option of HS2 services using the existing city centre station.

“Decisions of this scale sometimes involve compromise, and through dialogue I believe we have reached the best solution for South Yorkshire.”

Welcoming Higgins’ alternative plans, chair of the Sheffield City Region LEP Sir Nigel Knowles said: “HS2 is a vital investment in the Sheffield city region’s future. I am delighted that we have had the time to work constructively to ensure the city region could be best served by Britain’s new high speed rail network, which we expect to include trains calling at Chesterfield in the south of the city region, a parkway station as well as the line into the centre of Sheffield. 

“Connectivity with the rest of the UK is a major factor in achieving our growth plans. Of equal importance is the inter-connectivity within the North, via HS3, and we look forward to working with the government and other partners to bring that into fruition as quickly as possible. So I welcome David Higgins’ report and look forward to the secretary of state’s decision in due course.”

However Claire Brook, a partner at the law firm Bond Dickinson based in Leeds, said: "Today's announcement will create mixed emotions for the region.  It is positive that HS2 has now properly taken into account the wider aspirations of Transport for the North to improve the Northern Powerhouse rail services and is a potentially more integrated approach to serve the wider Yorkshire region. However the proposals, if taken forward, should be carefully considered so that they do not adversely impact on the development of wider transport infrastructure planning in the region and we need to ensure that connectivity between the major cities of Sheffield and Leeds will be enhanced from these proposals.  Whilst the new route may reduce travel times to London which is great for Leeds and central Sheffield could be served by High Speed trains we also need to maximise the benefits for the wider regional economy."

According to the Higgins'  report, using the existing Sheffield Midland station for HS2 services also opens up the possibility of running high speed trains from Sheffield to Leeds by building a link back onto the main HS2 line north of Sheffield.  This link could deliver Transport for the North’s (TfN) ambition for a frequent 30 minute journey time between Leeds and Sheffield, and might also be used by Birmingham-Leeds HS2 services, allowing them to route through Sheffield. TfN is considering the Sheffield-Leeds corridor alongside other Northern Powerhouse rail plans.

The secretary of state for transport will now consider David Higgins’ report in detail and make an announcement on the full HS2 Phase 2 route later this year.

If you would like to contact Andy Walker about this, or any other story, please email awalker@infrastructure-intelligence.com.