Ministers urged to halt work on HS2 until financial impact of coronavirus revealed
Ministers have been urged to halt construction of HS2 until the full extent of the damage to the UK's economy caused by coronavirus is known.
Warley MP John Spellar said his "considerable doubts" about the budget-busting rail project had been magnified by the country's battle against Covid-19.
He said the Government should have delayed giving the high speed line the go ahead due to the huge pressures on Britain's economy and likely cuts to public spending in future.
It came after ministers admitted that the first stretch of HS2 from London to Birmingham could deliver "poor" value for taxpayers.
Labour MP Mr Spellar, a former Transport Minister, said: "I have always had considerable doubts about HS2 but with the collapse of rail traffic and the explosion in remote working and video conferencing it would have been better to wait for a final decision until we had a clear picture after life returns to normal.
"This is especially the case when costs are rocketing and some in Government are talking about cuts to general public spending in the future. It’s a matter of priorities."
Construction work on the £106 billion line is due to start in imminently, with the Government having given HS2 Ltd formal approval last week.
Ministers said the move will provide a "vote of confidence" in the construction industry at a time of economic uncertainty, but an updated business case acknowledged that the first phase could deliver "poor" value for money.
It said that forecasts on the number of intercity rail passengers were now "lower than the historical growth" seen over the past 25 years, and also said that it was "not possible to say" whether coronavirus would have a lasting impact on travel patterns that would further devalue the project.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma swerved a question on HS2 at Friday's Downing Street press conference.
Asked by the Express & Star if it would be prudent to put the scheme on hold due to the economic impact of coronavirus, Mr Sharma responded by praising the construction industry.
Meanwhile, the Adam Smith Institute described the decision to press ahead with the project as "tone deaf", claiming the lockdown had proved that HS2 was not needed.
Richard Wellings, head of transport at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: "The economic case for HS2 was always weak.
"With the country in the midst of a Covid-19-induced economic downturn, the cost of this rail project is simply unjustifiable."
The first phase of HS2 is scheduled to open in 2029, with six trains per hour.
