Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has warned that the North risks facing “Armageddon” unless the HS2 high-speed rail link from Birmingham to Manchester is completed.
He urged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to reverse the previous government’s decision to scrap the northern leg of the project, calling for a revised, more affordable version of the original plan.
Speaking at the Labour Party Conference, Burnham explained that terminating HS2 in Birmingham would worsen rail services in the North, forcing slower trains and fewer seats. He argued that if HS2 trains run on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), which lacks the capacity for double-length carriages and high-speed curves, it would result in a “worse train service than we’ve currently got.”
Originally intended to connect London and Manchester, HS2 was scaled back in 2023 under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to save £36 billion, sparking outrage across the North. Burnham is now pushing for a lower-cost alternative, the Midlands-Northwest Rail Link, which would connect Lichfield to High Legh, near Warrington, and be backed by private investment.
Burnham said this project would resolve regional transport issues at a fraction of HS2’s original cost. He emphasised that Britain risks “sleepwalking toward a transport nightmare” unless investment is made to modernise rail infrastructure, particularly as the WCML and M6 motorway reach capacity.
He also expressed support for extending HS2 from Old Oak Common into London’s Euston Station, stating that “people in the North of England should be able to get into the heart of our capital city.”
Burnham’s comments come as the National Audit Office raised concerns over capacity issues following the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2. He warned that upgrading the WCML alone would be highly disruptive and insufficient to meet future demands.