‘Spectre of HS2’ hangs over Burnham-backed Northern Powerhouse Rail, MPs warn
The ambitious Northern England rail project backed by future prime minister Andy Burnham has been dealt a blow after an influential group of MPs published a damning report on the project’s “clear risk”, claiming lessons had not been learned from the HS2 debacle.
Northern Powerhouse Rail aims to bring rail services up to standards in the south of the country, with improved connections between the northern regions between Liverpool and Hull.
In January the government announced its support for the project, which will include the first phase to improve connections between Sheffield, Leeds and York, followed by a new rail route between Liverpool and Manchester via Manchester Airport.
The plan came with an initial funding cap of £45bn. welcomed Former Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham said the project would act as a “catalyst for huge growth across our city region and beyond”.
But shortly before Mr Burnham was appointed to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, a critical report into the viability of the project was published by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
MPs said they were not sure the Department for Transport had “learned all the lessons of past failures” and noted that the NPR “remains at an early stage despite more than 12 years of planning”.
They also compared the development of the program to the “lack of robust governance” in the early stages of HS2, expressing fears it could face similar cost pressures and doubts that “HS2 could avoid “expensive measures” such as a costly bat tunnel.
HS2 Ltd’s £100 million spend on a bat protection tunnel in Buckinghamshire to reduce environmental impacts has been seen by many as a measure of the cost-effectiveness of its dropped high-speed rail plan, which could cost more than £100 billion to build and run trains slower than originally planned.
Labor MP Clive Betts, deputy chair of the PAC, said: “The Government’s growth strategy earlier this year signaled that the appetite to finally deliver the North’s much-needed transport infrastructure is still there.
“But the specter of HS2 hangs over the Northern Power House Railway.
“Our committee heard disturbing echoes of HS2’s previous lapses in lax governance, and much of the project remains almost impressionistic even 12 years later.”
He added that the decision to use HS2 representatives to develop the NPR “does not fill us with confidence” as the former “is a casebook example of how not to run a major project”.
The PAC report said there was a “clear risk” that the DfT would be unable to deliver the full program and benefits within budget, given the £45bn funding ceiling for the whole project, which could then be supplemented by local contributions.
A DfT spokesman said: “NPR will not repeat the mistakes of HS2, which is why we have accepted all the recommendations of the James Stewart Review and are taking a disciplined, phased approach, completing detailed technical work with all stakeholders before determining definitive choices for major infrastructure.
“Since announcing the NPR in January, we have worked closely with Mayors to move the project forward.
“New joint partnership forums are already leading the next phase of development and Network Rail has begun developing engineering designs.”
