Published 20th Apr 2023, 06:00 BST

Updated 20th Apr 2023, 07:04 BST

Construction of the Birmingham to Crewe leg of the high-speed railway will be delayed by two years and services may not enter central London until the 2040s, it was announced last month, a move that follows uncertainty about whether such services will ever reach Yorkshire.

Mr Harper, though, accepted delays to HS2 would not necessarily save money. He told the Commons’ Transport Select Committee: “In itself, delaying delivering something doesn’t save money. But of course it does reflect the fact that you have a budget in each year, everybody listening to this has to live within their annual budget, as well as a budget over time.”

This comes after the Government appeared to scale back plans for the high-speed line to save money, as part of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) in November 2021, and said the eastern leg would stop at East Midlands Parkway. However, several Ministers have since promised that HS2 services will eventually reach Leeds and a study would determine whether a new line needs to be built, or upgrades should just be made to the existing track.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper answering questions from Transport Select Committee in the House of Commons, London, where he said that he accepted delays to HS2 will not save money.

West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin, in February said we have been “waiting over a year for Ministers to get their act together”.

It seems that there is confusion about many aspects of this important but so far ill-fated high-speed rail project. Meanwhile, rail users in the North wait for solid commitments on creating a transport system which matches their needs and ambition.

Confusion remains over HS2 and cost-cutting delays - The Yorkshire Post says