‘Let’s see an end to HS2’

• THE government remains in denial about HS2.

Rishi Sunak’s cancellation of its northern branches five months ago left its most expensive and least justifiable section, from London to Birmingham, intact. Without the links to Manchester and Leeds, however, this southern branch is worse than useless.

HS2 provides a third choice of passenger routes, to add to those from Paddington and Marylebone, between London and Birmingham; but if it is ever built HS2 will be the least used of the three.

It will not go to the centre of either London or Birmingham, stopping at Old Oak Common and Curzon Street respectively. Very few people will pay a premium fare to travel at high speed between Acton and Aston. HS2’s business case, which was always extremely weak, is now hopeless.

HS2’s trains, which do not tilt, will be much slower than the tilting Pendolinos if they run on existing tracks north of Birmingham. This rules out HS2 as a sensible option for anyone travelling beyond Birmingham. Its trains are strategically useless. The order for them should be cancelled immediately.

In contrast to the very attractive views to be had on the route from Marylebone to Birmingham, there will be little to be seen from HS2’s trains, as its tracks will run in tunnels or cuttings for three-quarters of the distance. The price of this aesthetic deficit has been the desecration of many areas of outstanding natural beauty. HS2 will also do nothing to solve the problem of freight transport.

Unsurprisingly for a decision based on fudge, Sunak’s retention of the southern phase of HS2 combines the worst of all worlds. His claim that private finance will step forward to provide the £12billion pounds required to extend HS2 from Old Oak Common to Euston is a fantasy.

As the public accounts committee report on Euston stated on February 7: “We are highly sceptical that the Department for Transport will be able to attract private investment on the scale and speed required to make the London terminus a success”.

HS2 has to date also failed to solve a number of fundamental engineering questions to do with Euston station. Despite these obvious defects HS2 continues to haemorrhage taxpayers’ money. It has already cost over £25billion, with another £5billion due to be spent this year.

For this there is nothing to show other than blight and misery. HS2’s incompetence and corruption have been widely documented. The only winners have been HS2’s management, on their grossly inflated and totally unjustifiable salaries, and contractors holding lucrative contacts.

Rishi Sunak should immediately stop further work on HS2, cancel the order for HS2’s trains and mothball all construction sites. Although this decision is long overdue, it would at least signal that he is living in the real world.

The Conservatives should not, however, bear the sole blame for this disastrous project. It has only got as far as it has due to the failure of the opposition and other parties to put HS2 under proper scrutiny.

The lengthy consultation process was loaded against rational objections. This failure was compounded by the disgraceful rubber-stamping of HS2 by the committees of both the Commons and Lords. The only parties, to their credit, who have ever opposed HS2 are UKIP and the Greens.

Sir Keir Starmer, our local MP, should have stood up for his constituents and made the case against HS2 as soon as he became Labour leader. I now call upon him to hold the government to account and to put an end to HS2.

MARTIN SHEPPARD, NW1