HS2 leg to Leeds should be scrapped, says IEA expert


Responding to reports that the eastern branch of HS2 connecting Leeds to London could be axed, Dr Richard Wellings, Deputy Research Director and Head of Transport at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

“The whole HS2 scheme is essentially a vanity project which makes no sense from an economic perspective and the eastern leg of Phase 2 is the weakest element of this heavily loss-making line.

“While capacity pressures are now less likely due to the shift to virtual meetings and homeworking, any future demand growth could easily be accommodated by existing routes.

“Yorkshire is already little more than 90 minutes from London using the East Coast Main Line, making the HS2 leg a grotesque waste of taxpayers’ money.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

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For further IEA reading on HS2, click here.



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