[Uk] HS2: What is the route and why could part of it be cancelled?

There is speculation that the HS2 high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester could be cancelled.

Another part of the previously announced route, between the East Midlands and Leeds, has already been scrapped.

HS2 is a massive project intended to create high-speed rail links between London and major cities in the Midlands and North of England.

It will cost tens of billions of pounds and is aimed at cutting journey times and increasing capacity.

It's hoped HS2 will create jobs and grow the UK economy outside London.

But the project has faced delays and mounting concerns over the exact route and spiralling costs.

HS2 was originally meant to connect London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

Work has already started on the first phase, linking London and the West Midlands.

But the Leeds leg was scrapped by the government in 2021 over concerns about the cost.

It was decided that existing routes would be upgraded for HS2 trains, instead of building new ones.

There are now suggestions that the already-delayed Birmingham to Manchester leg could also be cancelled.

As costs for the project have ballooned, the government has refused to guarantee that part of the line.

In addition, the London end of the line was originally intended to run into Euston, a major train station close to the city centre.

But that is now on hold, due to spiralling costs, with rumours that it could be scrapped altogether.

Instead, trains will at first stop at Old Oak Common, a new terminus in the west of London.

Meanwhile, the 13-mile (21km) Golborne Link that had been due to connect HS2 and the West Coast Main Line in Cheshire and Greater Manchester has also been scrapped.

The government says HS2 will cut Birmingham to London journey times from one hour 21 minutes, to 52 minutes.

HS2 would also take an hour off journeys from Manchester to London - from just over two hours to just over one hour - if this leg goes ahead.

Travelling from London to Leeds currently takes two hours and 13 minutes. Under the original HS2 plans it would have taken one hour and 21 minutes. The latest proposals mean it will take one hour and 53 minutes.

The cost of the project, the biggest of its kind in Europe, has grown over the years.

The first estimate in 2010 was for about £33bn.

This had risen to £55.7bn by 2015, although this included the now-scrapped Leeds branch.

The government's most recent official estimate, excluding the cancelled Leeds leg, adds up to about £71bn.

But this was in 2019 prices, so it does not account for the spike in costs for materials and wages, for example, in recent months.

An official government review into the report in 2020 mentioned one estimate of £106.6bn, although this included the eastern leg.

Long-time HS2 critic Lord Berkeley, who was vice-chair of the review, has claimed the costs of HS2 are now more likely to be around £180bn.

Some £24.7bn has been spent on HS2 so far, as of February 2023.

HS2 trains are due to carry their first passengers between Old Oak Common in London and Birmingham, between 2029 and 2033. HS2 had been due to link the cities by the end of 2026.

Euston station in the capital's centre is currently scheduled to open later, by 2035.

Currently, the stretches of line to Crewe and then to Manchester are due by 2034 and 2041.

The government has not said whether separate plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will go ahead if HS2 to Manchester is scrapped.

The scheme, between Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, includes a mix of new and upgraded lines. It also uses a section of the HS2 line from Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly, the city's main station.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said scrapping the HS2 Birmingham to Manchester link from risked creating a "north-south chasm" as it "rips the heart" out of NPR.

The HS2 project says it could provide "zero carbon rail travel" and create new wildlife habitats along its route.

However, environmental campaigners and conservation organisations have objected.

Wildlife Trusts said the project will "destroy huge swathes of irreplaceable natural habitat and important protected wildlife sites", including 108 ancient woodlands.