THE House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has published a report calling on the Government to answer questions raised by its decision to cancel the construction of Phase 2 of HS2 between the West Midlands and Manchester.
The report concludes that only building Phase 1 from Euston to Birmingham (HS2 trains originating or terminating north of Birmingham will use a connection at Handsacre in Staffordshire to leave or join the West Coast Main Line for the rest of their journey) represents “very poor value for money to the taxpayer”.
It adds that neither the Department for Transport nor HS2 Ltd knows what the final benefits will be, or what impact Phase 2 cancellation will have on the rest of the programme.