Government urged to 'get their act together' and get HS2 trains to Leeds

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.

But several Ministers have since promised that HS2 services will eventually reach Leeds and a £100m study will determine whether a new line needs to be built, or upgrades should just be made to the existing track.

Earlier this week, Rail Minister Huw Merriman said the study will begin “in the weeks to come”, adding: “It’s been through the department. We are just waiting for further sign off to be able to get that out”.

The Yorkshire Post understands the study has been delayed because the Treasury has questioned the £100m cost, but it will be launched after Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget on March 15.

“We have been waiting over a year for Ministers to get their act together and tell us how they will bring high-speed rail to West Yorkshire,” said Ms Brabin.

“As the Government has dithered and delayed, the people of the North have suffered.

“We need the government to get serious about backing our ambitions for a stronger, fairer and better-connected North.

“I’ve written to various rail ministers and made the case for HS2 and will be happy to press the current minister once again when I meet him next week.”

The study, known as the Leeds Area Study, is expected to take 18 months to two years to complete.

There are growing concerns about the cost of the project, which is expected to reach £71bn even if services never reach Leeds.

Last month reports in the national press suggested HS2 trains would not stop at the redeveloped Euston station in London, as it would be axed to save money.

But Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he did not see “any conceivable circumstances” in which that would happen.

Mr Hunt said the UK does not have “a good record” of delivering complex, expensive infrastructure quickly, but he is “incredibly proud” that HS2 is being built under a Conservative Government.

Speaking in October, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said Phase 1 of HS2, which will link the West Midlands and London, “remains within the budget and schedule”. It is expected to cost up to £44.6bn and open between 2029 to 2033.

Phase 2a, linking West Midlands to Crewe, is due to be delivered between 2030 and 2034, and cost up to £7bn. While Phase 2b, which will run from Crewe to Manchester, is expected to cost up to £22bn and open between 2035 to 2041.

The Government is also planning to spend £11.5bn on upgrading the 76-mile Transpennine Route, that runs between York and Manchester, and spend £17.2bn on building a 40-mile line between Warrington and Marsden.