The government is publishing a Supplement to the January 2022 update to the High Speed 2 (HS2) Crewe to Manchester Strategic Outline Business Case today (20 June 2022), as stated in a written ministerial statement to Parliament on 6 June 2022.
The ramifications of eliminating the Golborne Link from the High Speed (Crewe to Manchester) Bill proposal are detailed in this Supplement to the SOBC.
The proposed scheme’s importance in connecting Manchester to the high-speed network, reducing journey times between the UK’s largest economic regions (the South East, Midlands, and North West), and generating much-needed passenger and network capacity on the West Coast Mainline (WCML), the UK’s busiest mixed rail use corridor, was highlighted in the January 2022 update to the SOBC.
It also emphasized the scheme’s importance as a strategic enabler for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and the wider Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands, as well as its central role in rebalancing the UK economy by providing a platform for economic growth and regeneration in Manchester and the North West (IRP).
The Golborne Link, a proposed connection from the HS2 network near Hoo Green to the WCML just south of Wigan, was also included in this scheme, with the goal of boosting the number of HS2 trains between England and Scotland.
The government no longer intends to seek powers to build the Golborne Link as part of this Bill, as announced on June 6, 2022, subject to Parliament’s will. The Golborne link may not solve all of the rail capacity problems on the West Coast Mainline between Crewe and Preston, as Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review pointed out.
As a result, the government will take time to investigate alternatives that provide similar benefits to Scotland as the Golborne link, as long as they do so within the £96 billion budget set down for the Integrated Rail Plan, and to assess the alternatives’ deliverability.
HS2 is a critical component of the government’s £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan, which will connect our major cities and provide connections between the North and Midlands.
It will encourage businesses to invest outside of London while maintaining easy access to the city, as will other parts of the IRP. People will be able to locate high-wage, high-skilled positions without needing to fly to the south. This will boost productivity and growth, which will benefit the entire country.
The Supplement to the Strategic Outline Business Case will be kept in both Houses’ libraries and made publicly available online.