'Mini-HS2' link in the Midlands could allow high-speed services to run to Yorkshire

A new paper has been published by independent transport policy research group Greengauge 21 which says building a short conventional speed railway line to join the HS2 ‘main line’ to existing railway from Birmingham to Derby could have major benefits for connectivity in Yorkshire.

It comes weeks after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander formally lifted safeguarding on the scrapped HS2 Eastern leg route which had originally been due to run to Leeds before being downgraded and then fully cancelled – with her decision effectively ending any possibility of the route being revived.

But the new report from Greengauge 21 highlighted that provision is still being made for a junction – or ‘spur’ – pointing east on HS2 in the West Midlands which is envisaged to accommodate the connection of a future ‘conventional speed’ railway to HS2.

The report said: “The location is where connection for the Phase 2b ‘Eastern Arm’ alignment was to have been located, the point where the two ‘arms’ of the once-envisaged Y-shaped high-speed network would come together.

“Although this instruction passed without stirring wider public interest, we believe this is an important shift, and one which can ensure that cities on the east side of England can in future get a valuable economic boost from HS2, as well as those on the western side.

"At the expected location of this planned junction on HS2, the existing Birmingham-Derby main line is within five miles distance. It raises the possibility of a much lower cost means of providing an effective ‘Eastern Arm’ using the HS2 line to London.

“The opportunity created would be for a Leeds-Sheffield-Derby-London HS2 service using existing stations in these Yorkshire and East Midlands cities, using existing lines and the new connecting line of some five miles length to reach HS2. Trains on this route would operate at ‘conventional’ line speeds over existing lines and the connecting line and at high-speed when using HS2 infrastructure.

"Overall, economic gains would not be so great as those from the original HS2 plans, but then the capital outlay would be very substantially reduced.”

It said such a move would allow existing services to be reconfigured to allow for faster journey times between Yorkshire and London, with Sheffield becoming a “big winner” alongside Derby.

The report said: “We urge DfT to ensure that the work needed to assess the best location for the ‘Eastern Arm spur’ – and for its alignment onwards to the nearby Birmingham-Derby line – is carried out without delay and its results are widely shared.

"This is a huge opportunity to show how value for money can still be obtained from the cut-back form of HS2 which is now in the middle of its construction phase, ensuring that cities on the eastern side of the country, as well as on the western side, benefit from the capital outlay on HS2.”

Jim Steer, Director of Greengauge 21, said: “Given the cost saving and the connectivity gains it can bring across Derbyshire and Yorkshire, this modest step should be recognised as a scheme of national significance.

“While the rail sector is in a transition period, nothing should delay this opportunity to conserve much of the economic boost that HS2 was once expected to bring to the eastern side of England at a fraction of the cost of the original plan for HS2’s Eastern Arm.”

The Greengauge 21 report suggests that Sheffield-London journey times could be reduced by 30 minutes; Derby would also get a much quicker connection to London; and valuable capacity would be released over the Midland Main Line to provide intermediate stations with better services too.

The report also highlights “very significant” potential connectivity gains in Yorkshire, with Bradford set to gain most from this development through a re-configuration of services over the East Coast Main line to Kings Cross.

The report has been sent to Government, with the thinktank calling for a planning study to work out the best route and estimate costs.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Reliable and affordable public transport links are essential for supporting jobs and driving economic growth, key to our Plan for Change, and making travelling quicker, easier, and greener.

"We are investing in the North and delivering transformational projects across the region, such as the multi-billion-pound TransPennine Route Upgrade, and we will set out our ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail in the near future.

“We will continue to work with local leaders to improve rail connectivity.”