Political leaders across Yorkshire and the East Midlands have criticised a report from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) that suggested the HS2 leg to Leeds be downgraded.
The NIC’s
Rail Needs Assessment for the Midlands and the North puts forward five different investment options within three budgets of £86bn, £106bn and £129bn. All the proposals said the government should commit to the phase 2b section of the route connecting Crewe to Manchester. But the paper also contains the suggestion that regional links be prioritised over the other phase 2b section – from Birmingham to Leeds via the east Midlands – as well as alternatives to the proposed hub station in Toton, Nottinghamshire.