HS2 extension needs go-ahead, says West Yorkshire mayor

Speaking to “Trevor Phillips on Sunday” this morning, West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin stressed the importance of the HS2 extension to her region, saying: “We absolutely need to know that’s going ahead”.

This comes following speculation that the eastern leg of the high-speed rail network to Sheffield and Leeds could be cancelled. When providing a 3,200 word HS2 progress update to Parliament, Rail Minister Andrew Stephenson failed to mention the Yorkshire section of the route.

Again, this morning, Chancellor Rishi Sunak failed to commit to the Eastern HS2 leg, telling Trevor Phillips that an announcement on the matter will be made “shortly”.

Brabin had previously said that scrapping the planned Eastern leg of HS2 would constitute “government betrayal” of the region. 

HS2 is a planned high-speed rail network in the UK, projected to operate between London, the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds. Since the project’s announcement, however, it has been beset by delays and rising costs.