HS2 may run slower in the North to cut costs, ministers warn 

HS2 may run slower in the North to cut costs – and part of the route may even be AXED to reduce the soaring bill for the project, ministers warn

  • HS2 tracks will have a top speed of 225mph but could be slower in the North
  • Cost-cutting measures could see the route from Warrington to Wigan axed
  • High speeds might not be required further north as stations are closer together

HS2 trains could run at lower speeds in the North to cut costs, ministers revealed yesterday. And part of the route from Warrington to Wigan may be axed to reduce the £106billion bill.

HS2 trains will have a top speed of 225mph, but only on relatively straight stretches of track – around 60 per cent of the line from London to Birmingham but less further north. 

Ministers refuse to rule out running some services on existing lines, which have a 125mph limit, saying project bosses have an ‘obsession with getting time off the journey’.

HS2 trains will have a top speed of 225mph, but only on relatively straight stretches of track – around 60 per cent of the line from London to Birmingham but less further north (file image)

They say high speeds might not be required across the North, because the gaps between stations are shorter. 

Boris Johnson has vowed to look at integrating HS2 with the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail link between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.

The first HS2 trains, between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham, could be running by 2029. 

They say high speeds might not be required across the North, because the gaps between stations are shorter (file image)

They say high speeds might not be required across the North, because the gaps between stations are shorter (file image)

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