Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has reignited the conversation around the HS2 high-speed rail project by pledging to revive the northern leg connecting Birmingham and Manchester, an initiative welcomed by former government minister Huw Merriman.
Burnham, currently campaigning in the Makerfield by-election, emphatically supports reinstating this critical HS2 route, which was scrapped by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 2023 due to escalating costs and delays. He believes this infrastructure is vital for unlocking the North’s economic growth potential, stating, “The lack of high-quality rail infrastructure in the north of England holds back its growth potential.”
Highlighting his experience with funding Crossrail, Burnham advocates for a smarter financial approach. He suggests sharing the increased land value generated by new infrastructure with landholders to help finance projects, ensuring that infrastructure investment benefits both public and private stakeholders.
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Huw Merriman, chair of the High Speed Rail Group and ex-rail minister, praised Burnham’s stance, emphasizing that the Birmingham-Manchester link remains a government priority. He underscored the importance of early, long-term planning to maximize HS2’s benefits, not just as an isolated railway but as part of a broader national network designed to ease passenger and freight traffic and promote economic balance across the UK.
Burnham has also criticized the “ministerial merry-go-round” in Whitehall, noting how changes in leadership have complicated HS2’s progress and inflated costs. He insists that “doing nothing” is not an option given the congestion problems on the West Coast Main Line and the M6 motorway, threatening the economic futures of both the West Midlands and Greater Manchester.
Earlier this year, the Labour government announced plans for a new rail link between Birmingham and Manchester, although it may not be completed until after the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme is finished, potentially delaying the project by decades. Despite these setbacks, former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street remains cautiously optimistic, praising cross-party cooperation and emphasizing the strategic importance of completing this link as a vital piece of a broader network.
However, frustrations continue as HS2 faces further delays. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander recently revealed that trains on the Birmingham-London route might not run until between 2036 and 2039. She acknowledged the project’s troubled past but remains committed to its recovery, pointing to a refreshed leadership team and recent milestones achieved ahead of schedule.
As Andy Burnham pushes for renewed momentum on the northern HS2 leg, the debate over Britain’s infrastructure future continues, highlighting the tension between cost, delay, and the potential for long-term economic uplift.