Hopes for transformative investment and new jobs in Preston could be dashed in the wake of today’s expected decision to scrap the HS2 link to Manchester.That is the warning from politicians and business leaders with it now widely expected that Rishi Sunak is poised to pull the plug on the high speed line beyond Birmingham.
While the 225mph line itself – even under current plans – was never going to extend into Lancashire, it was expected that some of the trains themselves would join the existing West Coast Mainline at Crewe and travel, albeit at more sedate speeds, to places like Preston. “There is a conversation [required about] the public sector office space that we need and, obviously, we want to keep jobs within our community – but it’d just be a huge loss for our thinking around there at this moment in time.
“In this case, it is the much needed development of Preston station and the station quarter [area] – a key plank of long-overdue regeneration work in our city centre, which will bring in new jobs alongside the physical improvements to this part of Preston. “I am not going to be forced into a premature decision because it is good for someone’s TV programme.
The bill for HS2 had reportedly spiralled to £106bn by early 2020, almost double the £55.7bn estimate in 2015, when the government claimed that every £1 invested in the scheme would yield more than £2.50 worth of economic benefit. In order to accommodate the new, longer rolling stock, platforms 3 and four would have to be extended. Replacement capacity for local and regional services would then be created by reopening the closed former mail parcel platform, known as platform 0.
The optimistic assessment was based on Preston following the example of European cities which have anchored their growth ambitions to rail investments.