Warning on HS2 as new South Yorkshire plan unveiled

THE MAN in charge of delivering HS2 has warned the North must continue to campaign for the high speed rail project as he unveils a new plan for the route and stations in South Yorkshire.
Sir David HigginsSir David Higgins
Sir David Higgins

In a partial victory for campaigners in Sheffield, the new plan is expected to suggest two trains an hour should be diverted onto a spur off the mainline east of Chesterfield and into the existing Sheffield Midland station.

A further connection taking trains North from Sheffield back onto the mainline could be built as part of the transpennine high speed rail project dubbed HS3.

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But HS2 is likely to reject the campaigners’ case for diverting the whole line through Sheffield and building a new station at Victoria because of the estimated £700m additional cost and the delays it would cause to services heading further north.

The original proposal for a station serving the whole of South Yorkshire at Meadowhall looks set to be scrapped with the main HS2 line now likely to be taken on a route further east.

The change could save £1bn in construction costs and lift the uncertainty that has surrounded the Meadowhall area but will leave a question mark hanging over other communties in South Yorkshire.

Leeds and York could be the biggest winners from the changes which will cut journey times on the new line to London.

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A report published by HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins is expected to recommend a further study looking at the case for a “parkway” station along the M18 to serve the wider South Yorkshire community.

But The Yorkshire Post understands there is significant scepticism among Sheffield’s neighbours that the idea will be taken forward.

With a new prime minister due to take office in Downing St and some of the Conservative Party leadership candidates expressing scepticism about the value of HS2, Sir David told The Yorkshire Post the North needed to continue to campaign for the project’s delivery.

He said: “We have had a long history of the North being taken for granted where there has been a skewing of infrastructure investment to the south and London in particular and the North coming off second best.

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“That’s something that will only change if the North remains vigilent and insists their major infrastructure gets priority.”

Council and business leaders in Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley had backed the original Meadowhall proposal and it remains to be seen whether they accept the new plan.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “HS2 will go to Manchester and Leeds but I know opinion in South Yorkshire is divided about how the new railway can best serve that region with passionate arguments being made for a station at either Meadowhall or Sheffield city centre.”

Mr McLoughlin added: “I will now consider this report in detail and make an announcement on the full HS2 Phase 2 route later this year so this vital project can move forward and help support the Northern Powerhouse. I will ensure HS2 Ltd engages closely with communities along the newly proposed route to provide them with the necessary support and information as quickly as possible.”