HS2 link to Manchester delayed again as plans ‘rephased’

HS2 will not arrive in Manchester until 2043, following further delays to the high-speed rail link. Business leaders in the North have said the delays prove the government is not serious about levelling up. Mark Harper, the transport secretary, said construction of the Birmingham to Crewe leg of HS2 would not enter service before 2032 at the earliest. The extension has now been “rephased” by two years, meaning the line to Crewe may not be open until 2036, and Manchester not until 2043. In a written statement to MPs, the government also warned that plans to bring HS2 into Euston station might not be completed until 2041 at the earliest, with trains stopping outside of central London. Harper insisted that the London to Birmingham stretch of the line was being prioritised and would open at some point between 2029 and 2033. Harper said the government was committed to delivering the high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Crewe, despite suggestions that the northern leg of the project could be scrapped altogether. The flagship Lower Thames Crossing, a £7bn tunnel and road scheme linking Essex and Kent, will also be deferred for at least two years. The Times (£)and The Times (£)The FT (£)The Guardian