HS2 cancellation will be a major blow says Cheshire and Warrington LEP

Speaking at the Tory party conference in Manchester, Rishi Sunak said the costs had more than double and promised to put £32bn savings into other projects in the region.

This includes the Liverpool to Manchester rail link up (although this won't be high speed).

Critics have already said the decision will be a huge blow to Cheshire and Warrington.

Part of the scheme was to be a new Bank Quay station with two high-speed trains an hour to London (one at high level, one at low level).

The controversial Golborne link which was due to go through Culcheth was cancelled last year.

A spokesman for Warrington Borough Council called it very disappointing news and said HS2 has suffered from years of 'chronic mismanagement'.

They added they they are waiting to understand the detail of the proposed other projects in the area.

Mr Sunak said: "I say to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed.

"And the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction."

As part of a drive to create a new northern network, he pledged to invest in a raft of other transport schemes.

"I am ending this long-running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project and in its place, we will reinvest every single penny, £36 billion, in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, across the country.

"This means £36 billion of investment in the projects that will make a real difference across our nation."

Warrington South MP Andy Carter says the huge potential of the north is being wasted and cutting journey times between cities and towns in the north should be prioritised.

He added: "We need improved links between our towns and cities across the North, it’s something I’ve called for consistently since becoming an MP, so I welcome the PM’s commitment to improving links between Manchester and Liverpool with a £12bn commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail. That’s exactly what people in Warrington South have told me they want to see, it will transform train journeys between Warrington and our neighbouring cities.  

"The huge potential of the North is being wasted. This cannot continue – we need to prioritise cutting journey times and increasing capacity and frequency between Hull, York, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Manchester, Warrington and Liverpool.

"We also need to improve everyday LOCAL journeys for people, such as more buses and better roads. The most popular form of public transport are buses – which account for the majority of all journeys, and are most used by people on lower incomes. Government investment in buses here in Warrington now totals around £42million, it will bring a new electric bus fleet, more routes and lower fares.  It also means we are keeping the national £2 bus fare which was due to expire at the end of October but we are continuing with it until the end of 2024.

"Investment in local roads generates an even higher economic return, reducing congestion pinch points and filling potholes – that’s something we need to see more of here in Warrington but we’ve been investing more per year in HS2 than we spend on the entire strategic road network.

"Because of the announcement today, every region will have more transport investment.  There will be more trains travelling more frequently and faster between Manchester and Liverpool."

In statement a Cheshire and Warrington LEP spokesperson said: “The decision to cancel HS2 is a major blow for Cheshire and Warrington, costing its economy of £2bn billion a year. “HS2 would have had a transformational impact across Cheshire and Warrington, creating 27,000 new jobs, delivering 6 million sq. ft of new commercial floor space and 25,000 new homes and a catalyst for the LEP’s unwavering ambition to deliver a growing, sustainable, healthy and inclusive economy.

“The decision will mean the sub-region fails to realise the potential HS2 offered to unlock significant housing, employment and productivity gains.

“We will now be seeking more detail and looking carefully at the Prime Minister’s promise to recycle the £36bn that he says will be saved from HS2 and how the projects he announced will help Cheshire and Warrington.

“Crewe was anticipating a £750m increase per annum in GVA from HS2 and we will want to understand what projects the government is proposing that will replace this loss.

“Committing to investment in major infrastructure pays dividends. Whilst large-scale projects will always be challenging to deliver, they bring significant long-term economic benefits.

“Investment in rail and taking freight off our roads is necessary to help achieve our carbon reduction targets.”