Following the announcement of a Government-commissioned independent review to examine ‘how and whether’ the controversial High Speed 2 railway project should go ahead, the Department for Transport said it will consider a number of factors relating to HS2, including its benefits, impacts, affordability, efficiency, deliverability, scope and phasing.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The Prime Minister has been clear that transport infrastructure has the potential to drive economic growth, redistribute opportunity and support towns and cities across the UK, but that investments must be subject to continuous assessment of their costs and benefits.
“That’s why we are undertaking this independent and rigorous review of HS2. ‘Douglas Oakervee and his expert panel will consider all the evidence available, and provide the department with clear advice on the future of the project.’ Mr Oakervee said he is ‘looking forward’ to working with Lord Berkeley to advise the Government on ‘how and whether to progress with HS2, based on all existing evidence”.
Campaigners against the project welcomed the review but criticised the appointment of Mr Oakervee. Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin said: “We have serious questions as to whether a review headed by former chair of HS2 could ever be described as independent.
“We worry, as happened in the past when it comes to jobs and economic benefits, that they are simply going to go away and make up some increasingly outlandish and improbable numbers to justify this white elephant”.
A final report will be sent to Mr Shapps – with oversight from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Sajid Javid – by the autumn. This will ‘inform the Government’s decisions on next steps for the project’, the DfT said.
In July, the Financial Times reported HS2 Ltd chair, Allan Cook, had written to the DfT to warn the project could end up costing £85 billion – £30 billion over the original budget. At the time, HS2 Ltd said it did not comment on ‘leaks or speculation’.
