Rail experts say predicted passenger congestion north of Birmingham will mean ticket price rises to reduce demand
New plans to resolve the rail capacity issues created by the cancellation of HS2’s northern legs are years away, the Observer has been told, amid claims that passengers will have to be priced off the railways to tackle congestion.
Experts said the decision to cancel phase two of the project, which took it north of Birmingham, would have knock-on effects for the rest of the century. One said Rishi Sunak’s decision to cancel was like “taking a body and ripping out the backbone – you’re left with a wobbly amoeba”.