HS2 could be slower north of Birmingham in order to cut costs, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has said as he criticised the project’s “obsession” with cutting journey times.
The cabinet minister said the review of the line from Birmingham to Leeds and Crewe to Manchester could lead to the route slightly changing, possibly making it less straight and therefore lowering the speed.
The government argues it would be counterproductive to delay the first phase from London to Birmingham by looking again at costs but wants to re-examine parts of the second phase north of Birmingham to help bring down the price tag, which could exceed £100bn.
Asked by the BBC whether the service would be different after Birmingham, Shapps said: “I think not dramatically different, but you are right. There has been some over specification.”
He cited the so-called Golburne spur – part of the line near Manchester – as an example of an area that could be reworked, saying it added billions to the cost with little extra benefit.
Shapps said there had been a level of “gold plating to this project and the obsession with getting time off the journey belies where we are as this country”.
Amid the government’s fanfare about bringing new infrastructure to the north of England, HS2 is not forecast to be delivered to passengers in Manchester and Leeds until between 2037 and 2040.
Johnson’s team hopes to compress this timetable, in part by integrating the final phase of the project into work on existing and new transport routes, such as a planned higher-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds.
On BBC Breakfast, Shapps was shown footage of a couple whose family had lived in their street for 100 years who have been told they must move out within a month so that their property can be bulldozed for HS2.
Shapps said this was “heartbreaking” but he defended the project overall as essential, later saying: “If you believe in the future of the country you have to do it.”
The transport secretary toured the broadcast studios to promote HS2 a day after Johnson said he wanted to go ahead with the high-speed train line.
The prime minister had ordered a review to look at the value for money of the scheme and concluded it should go ahead in full.
But he told the House of Commons on Tuesday that the management of the project must be overhauled and pledged to appoint a dedicated HS2 minister to scrutinise its delivery.
Shapps said the government would approach HS2 like delivery of the Olympics with a Cobra sub-committee to ensure it is taken seriously by ministers.
The decision is controversial with many Tory MPs whose constituencies are affected by the line but opposition in the Commons was muted, as the project has been given the go ahead so many times before by previous prime ministers.
Environmental groups criticised the impact on ancient woodland and wildlife, while unions and business groups said it should now proceed with no more delays.
