HS2 line axed: How readers of The Yorkshire Post feel about Leeds leg of high speed railway being cancelled

Boris Johnson confirmed exclusively to The Yorkshire Post that the controversial HS2 line would not be coming to Yorkshire after all.

The Prime Minister has committed to a study to see what the best way is to get the city better connected to the rail network.

We asked our readers on social media how they would feel should the line be axed, and this is what they said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Barbara Thomas: If the government were serious about levelling up then HS2 would have STARTED in Leeds not the capital! Personally I would prefer it the lines were replaced with a total upgrade between Leeds and London and Leeds and Manchester! I would be happy with better trains too! People in the North East will not give up their cars with the transport systems we have!

An aerial view of the south portal HS2 align compound, in Rickmansworth, HertfordshireAn aerial view of the south portal HS2 align compound, in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
An aerial view of the south portal HS2 align compound, in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire

Sarah Jackson: So flipping happy, should never have been proposed. The environmental impact would have been devastating and the impacts on people mental state had been horrendous. The cost is eye watering especially now with the pandemic that has proven we don’t need to commute to London to do our work. For what, to save 20 mins for the people of Rotherham it would have taken longer than that to get to Chesterfield. There was always better options than bringing the train through Rotherham and surrounding areas.

Julia Dukes: It’s ridiculous. The whole point of it was to link north to south. They’ve destroyed the Chilterns for no reason

Read More
Boris Johnson confirms HS2 Eastern Leg to Leeds will be axed

Nina Oaken: It was a vanity project. It's torn up huge swathes of the south. It's devastated wildlife. It's forced compulsory purchases of loved homes. It was always a vanity project. Most meetings can be done via zoom. I'd far rather see investment in our our own regional train network.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jill Sowden: It was never going happen. Too expensive. In a way I'm quite pleased now they won't be damaging the countryside etc.

Eleanor Smith: Over the moon!! The whole plan for the eastern leg was a total farce, would have totally destroyed our village with no gain to anybody in South Yorkshire. The current line we have would have still got us to London much quicker.

Elaine Gatehouse: Absolutely delighted,We didn’t want it in the first place.Who in their right mind would want to get to London any faster than they can now.WHAT WE DO WANT IS BETTER CROSS PENNIES TRANSPORT.

Dave Hollings: It was always going to happen - projects in the south go ahead, then those in the north are abandoned. The HS2 section between Birmingham and London would be built, then the sections linking to the north would be abandoned becasue they were 'too expensive'. The only surprise is that there are still people who fall for this every time it happens.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Carol Hunt: I would rather see improved maintenance of the existing network and the reinstatement of identified parts of the rail network abolished as part of the Beeching cuts.

Dave Caro: Most pleased. Who the hell wishes to get to London sooner. Utter waste of money.

Tracy Stewart Scott: I’d like busses that run on time, train’s that run on time, frequency and speed are no way as important as reliability. Lets get the basics right first. The workforce need better pay and conditions then the gaps in employment could be filled and then… at last huge projects like this may be useful but not before!

Chris Teather: Should build it. We keep falling behind with infrastructure and will get left behind in the world/Europe. I understand the disruption it would cause, just like the Motorway system did. But how many people who disagree with it now uses the Motorway? The same would happen with the Train.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sandra Elizabeth Haith: Highly delighted. It was a complete waste of money. Only linked Birmingham to Leeds and that can be done via 2a (Manchester). Saves the cost of the eastern leg and that money could be put towards the new trans- Penning riute that we so desperately need and yet us under threat.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.