Express & Star

HS2 to create new services through region

HS2 will create new rail services through stations in the Black Country and Staffordshire, supporters of the line have claimed.

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HS2 will free up capacity on the existing rail network and create new services, it has been claimed.

New research from Midlands Connect says HS2 trains will carry 576,000 people per day, reducing overcrowding on the existing network and allowing it to expand.

Bosses say this will mean more frequent services on local lines, including the Wolverhampton-Birmingham route, and between Sandwell and Dudley through Staffordshire.

The region's transport authority is desperately trying to promote the benefits of HS2, which could be scrapped or scaled down in the coming months after a review chaired by Douglas Oakervee.

The budget-busting line – which will carve through 45 miles of Staffordshire countryside – is under increased pressure after the company building it claimed it will cost at least £22 billion more than forecast and be delayed by seven years.

Sir John Peace, chair of Midlands Connect and Midlands Engine, said HS2 was the only way to guaranteed the massive improvements needed on local services.

“The benefits of HS2 will be felt by millions of people across the UK, including passengers that never set foot on a high speed train," he said.

"Regional and local rail services are in desperate need of improvement and it’s time we face facts, without the space and flexibility created by HS2, the transformational change needed is not possible.

“It is the capacity released by the line – not just its speed – that will give the whole network a desperately needed overhaul.

"We haven’t built a new inter-city railway north of London in a century – piecemeal interventions will do no more than paper over the cracks of an overloaded, tired network.

"Left unchanged, these deficiencies will stifle growth and prosperity for decades to come. Our message to Government is clear; commit to HS2, commit to the regions you serve and give us a transport network fit for the future.”

Steve Hollis, chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority HS2 Growth Delivery Board, said the positive impact of the line had been "consistently underestimated".

"Locations right across the West Midlands will be better connected once it is built, due to the space it creates on our conventional railway and the significant infrastructure improvements it has triggered," he said.

"HS2 will be a huge boost to business, commuters, students and visitors alike.”

The research also claims 73 villages, towns and cities across the country will benefit from HS2, including 54 that won’t receive direct HS2 services.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps has pledged to "keep an open mind" about the line's future until after the review is complete.