黑洞社区

West Midlands mayor Andy Street and his counterpart in Greater Manchester Andy Burnham are due to meet the transport secretary next week to discuss plans for a replacement for the cancelled HS2 leg between Birmingham and Manchester.

The pair were prominent critics of last autumn鈥檚 decision by prime minister Rishi Sunak to pull the scheme, with Street at one point reportedly set to quit the Conservative party in protest.

Street was also responsible for putting together a last-ditch bid to save the line which featured several private sector companies including Siemens and Arup. The group proposed alternative solutions to build the route between Crewe and Manchester including bringing in private finance and commercialising high-speed rail stations.

鈥淚t is quite unusual for private companies to come forward and say the prime minister is getting this wrong and to put their heads above the parapet,鈥� Street said at the time.

Sunak pulled the plug a few days later and, since then, Street and Burnham have been working on a plan to get an alternative off the ground.

Speaking at an event yesterday to mark the start of groundworks at the HS2 Curzon Street station in Birmingham, Street told 黑洞社区 that he and Burnham would be meeting Mark Harper next week.

鈥淲e are not trying to revive HS2 鈥� that won鈥檛 happen. [But] the prime minister has said he wants proposals for improved connectivity. It might be upgrades to the West Coast Line, or it might be a new dedicated line.鈥� Detailed proposals would be revealed over the summer, he added.

Street said Curzon Street, which is being built by a Mace/Dragados joint venture, 鈥渂rings high-speed rail right to the centre of the city, London and to the north we hope in time鈥�.

He added that a 鈥渘ew dedicated line鈥� would connect where HS2 ends in Handsacre, north of Birmingham, with the start of Northern Powerhouse Rail in Stockport.

The government has already spent 拢2.3bn on the second phase of HS2 but ministers believe cancellation will save the Treasury 拢34bn in planned expenditure.

Street told 黑洞社区 the mayors鈥� alternative plan 鈥渃ertainly won鈥檛 cost the amount that HS2 north was going to cost the exchequer鈥� and added: 鈥淸I鈥檓] very confident that, in time, one of the options will happen. There will, in time, be a connection between the two [cities].鈥�

He said the pair were continuing to meet with the private sector to discuss building the link between Birmingham and Manchester. 鈥淲e are not experts, we need to talk with private sector experts about the options.鈥�

Others to pledge their support for Street鈥檚 attempt to save phase 2 of HS2 last autumn included Mace and Arcadis.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 鈥淭he government is supportive of work to improve rail connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester.鈥�