Today’s report from the Public Accounts Committee will be a cause for alarm for everyone who wants to see better rail connectivity across the North of England.

Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is central to the Government’s Northern Growth Strategy. Poor transport connectivity across the region is stifling productivity and limiting opportunities for employees, while deterring investment from businesses.

However, the PAC provides sobering analysis of how the NPR project is at risk of repeating the same mistakes that saw billions of taxpayer pounds poured into a black hole for ever diminishing returns. To the point where HS2 won’t even reach the North of England.

It is a damning indictment that despite more than 12 years of planning, NPR still remains at an early stage. There is considerable uncertainty clouding the project, with journey times, frequency, capacity, the exact route of the new line, who will build the new lines, and how investment in urban and industrial regeneration will be prioritised, yet to be determined. As well as question marks over the funding cap for the project.

A member of HS2 staff walks into the Chilterns tunnel. PIC: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

placeholder image — A member of HS2 staff walks into the Chilterns tunnel. PIC: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

One of the biggest mistakes with HS2 was that it started in the wrong place. Had the project commenced from Leeds, it would have been far harder for Whitehall to justify curtailing it.

Clive Betts, deputy chair of the PAC, said: “Both the Treasury and Department for Transport have questions to answer about the project’s £45bn funding cap. Given the fact that this project has not been fully scoped or designed, it is hard to see how the government was able to arrive at a hard £45bn cap.”

The Government must answer the questions raised by the PAC if it is going to gain the confidence of the public and ensure that the project stays on track.