HS2 ‘vanity project’ should be totally scrapped, says free market think tank

The whole HS2 project should be scrapped, said a free market think tank analyst today.

The comments come in light of reports that the eastern leg of HS2 connecting Birmingham and Leeds will be officially scrapped today.

Andy Mayer, Energy, Environment and Infrastructure Analyst at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, argued:

“The entire HS2 vanity project will cost more than the benefit it brings to the cities it connects. Ideally it should all be scrapped, but if savings are to be made, it must start with the least impactful branches. Sadly, this includes the Leeds links to the Midlands and Manchester. High speed rail over short distances, between areas of low population density, is little better than upgraded infrastructure, but much more expensive.

“The angry response from some quarters – however justified – isn’t sufficient reason to continue a bad plan. Nor will the Northern Powerhouse succeed if entirely dependent on taxpayer handouts, politicians’ promises, and regional transfers. If the best paid jobs in your town are in local government, public services and rail lobbyists, you’re not a powerhouse.

“Giving Northern authorities more power to develop private investment, by relaxing planning constraints and removing anti-business regulations, would create the real economic platform upon which future transport investment could be justified. It wasn’t government that built the original railroads, it was entrepreneurs seeking to profit from the Northern industrial boom.”