Why HS2 matters to Yorkshire and the North - James Mitchinson

Boris Johnson was and remains many things - though few of them endearing - but one thing you cannot deny is to be admired about him is his penchant for big-vision projects, some, certainly, sprinkled with too much big-vision. Garden Bridge, anyone?

But, having met the former Prime Minister on more than one occasion, I know he genuinely believed that better public transport infrastructure was - IS! - the key to sharing more widely around the country opportunity and prosperity. He wholeheartedly believed in the opening gambit that remains festooned to the top of the HS2.org website. Namely: HS2 will act as a catalyst. It will boost productivity and therefore the economy whilst opening the gates to infinitely more leisure pleasure for millions of people.

Do not be brainwashed by the nay-saying Luddites who chant feverishly the falsehood: “we don’t need a faster train to London. All that does is boost London.” Trust me, that’s a mere slogan for the lazy. HS2 never was and never will be about reducing the journey time to London; that it does is a serendipitous benefit among benefits, but barely one that matters.

So, what are the benefits of HS2?

For anyone interested, there is a short two-minute explainer available on YouTube - HERE. It starts like this: “Most of Britain’s railway network was built over 100 years ago, and it was never imagined it would - or could - run as many services as it does.”

The explainer focuses on the three key benefits of HS2:

- Capacity

- Connectivity

- Cutting carbon

Capacity: For anyone who has had the misfortune of travelling on a Northern / TransPennine service at peak times, the need for additional capacity is staring you in the face - so closely on those services that you can be forgiven for feeling violated. In essence, what HS2 does is take those travelling longer distances along their way on dedicated, modern, fast trains and track at high speeds. The people using that service probably won’t feel much of a difference between it and the serenity of the current Azuma services. However, getting those trains running - reliably and affordably - on their own track means more track time and space for local and regional shuttles, increasing frequency, convenience and … crucially, capacity.

Connectivity: In simple terms, the more places you can get to, more frequently, the more opportunities you will have for work, leisure and pleasure. By running a high-speed track between the nation’s major cities (creating hubs) you, yes, grow your big cities faster by attracting more people to them, but - critically - you also grow your towns by bringing people closer together through price, convenience - connectedness!

Cutting carbon: Again, this comes about as a result of the additional capacity that comes with dedicating fast-track to fast trains, increasing the capacity for passenger and freight journeys, thus removing lorry and car journeys from the roads. It will also, once built in full, especially once combined with Northern Powerhouse Rail, give people a genuine alternative to domestic air travel - a real benefit for business commuters.

Pressed just this week by Anna Jameson on air for BBC Radio Manchester, despite her dogged efforts, the Prime Minister refused to guarantee HS2 to Manchester. It has already been scrapped to Leeds. What we are then left with is a game-changing idea squandered. The silver bullet to levelling up has turned out to be a dud. But it is not too late. Allow me to give the final word to Mark Reynolds, Mace Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

He told me this week: "Connectivity drives growth, and everyone recognises that at the moment our great northern cities are not served well enough by existing infrastructure. HS2 is our best opportunity to address that - there just aren't any other viable projects that could replace the huge benefits offered by high speed rail capacity reaching Manchester and beyond. Abandoning the full completion of the project at this stage will fundamentally undermine efforts to level up the UK, limiting growth and the ambition of our Northern towns and cities at a crucial juncture. There are no alternatives - we must build HS2 in full."

So, Prime Minister: answer the question. Do you care about the north? Are you committed to levelling up - or not?

James Mitchinson, Editor, The Yorkshire Post.

The Yorkshire Post has an exclusive interview with the designer of HS2 in Monday's newspaper. Buy a copy from your local newsagents or consider subscribing today for unlimited access to our premium articles www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/subscriptions