THE Government dealt a major blow to the HS2 project on March 9, when it announced that Euston would not be reached until 2041 – almost two decades from now – and that Old Oak Common would become the ‘temporary’southern terminus.
The decision to proceed with HS2 was taken at the start of January 2012, with construction organised into two phases for an initial line between London Euston and Birmingham, followed by two spurs to reach Manchester and Leeds.
There would also be a number of connecting sections linking the high-speed route to HS1 (St Pancras-Channel Tunnel) and the West Coast, Midland, and East Coast Main Lines. Parliamentary powers for Phase 1 were granted in February 2017 and as far as Crewe for what was described as Phase 2a in February 2021. Plans for Phase 2b, which would allow construction between Crewe and Manchester with stations at the airport and Piccadilly, were also well advanced.
Network Rail had pushed for a new line as forecasts suggested there would be insufficient future capacity on the West Coast Main Line to meet the demand for longer distance commuter services and expected growth in intermodal traffic. HS2 was considered to be more cost effective and less disruptive than the alternative of upgrading existing infrastructure.