HS2: Chance to connect Leeds and Sheffield with high-speed rail ‘must not be missed’

They released a statement after Rail Minister Huw Merriman launched a long-awaited study that will look to establish the most effective way to run HS2 trains to Leeds.

The Leeds Study was first promised in November 2021 when the Department of Transport published the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) and revealed it was planning to scale back HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail to save money.

The £96bn IRP stated the eastern leg of the high-speed rail line will stop at East Midlands Parkway and trains will then run on an existing line to Sheffield.

Mr Merriman said the new study – expected to take two years to complete – will explore several options, including the original plan to build HS2 in full and ensure the line eventually reaches Leeds.

But it will also look at proposals to run HS2 services from Manchester to Leeds, or from Sheffield to Leeds, by upgrading existing lines.

A plan to have services run from Nottingham to Leeds, via Newark and the East Coast Main Line, is being considered as part of the study.

There is also an option to run services to Leeds via Erewash in Derbyshire, by upgrading the Erewash Valley and Old Road lines as well as building an existing line “to complete a route to Leeds”.

Councillor Tom Hunt, leader of Sheffield City Council, and Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said the study should only consider options which connect their cities with a high-speed rail line.

Yorkshire’s two largest cities are 39 miles apart but it takes at least 40 minutes to travel between them by train.

In the south, passengers can make the 34-mile trip from Reading to London Paddington in just 23 minutes on the new £19bn Elizabeth Line.

“High-speed rail will create a globally-competitive economic corridor between our two cities, providing jobs and opportunities across our towns and communities, removing congestion from our roads, and encouraging the shift to lower-carbon travel,” the council leaders said.

“Our current rail connectivity is significantly behind that of other UK neighbouring cities and does not befit the size of our combined economy, so we remain concerned by the reference to high-speed connectivity to Leeds solely via the west as a suggested option, or any option that fails to connect our two cities.

“Delivering high-speed rail between Sheffield and Leeds is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our two cities and regions to realise their growth potential, and this must not be missed.

“We hope and expect that this study will be completed with the utmost urgency.”

Earlier this week, Mr Merriman said the study will consider a range of options and “take account of value for money, affordability, deliverability and timescales, economic development, disruption to passengers and local views”.

The Tory Minister also said the study will also explore options to increase capacity at Leeds station, including adding new platforms, changing timetables and altering routes.

But it comes amid growing concerns about the spiralling cost of Europe’s largest infrastructure project, which is expected to reach £71bn even if services never reach Yorkshire.

Phase 1, which will link the West Midlands and London, is currently expected to cost up to £44.6bn and open between 2029 to 2033.

Mr Merriman recently confirmed services will begin running between Old Oak Common in London and Curzon Street in Birmingham by 2033, however plans for the redesigned HS2 station at Euston have been delayed.

HS2 trains are now not expected to run into Euston until 2041 at the earliest after initially being scheduled for 2026, and the cost is predicted to balloon from £2.6 bn to £4.8bn.

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.