London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

HS2: Joy and frustration as £3bn rail link is scrapped

HS2: Joy and frustration as £3bn rail link is scrapped

Home and business owners along part of the HS2 rail project have expressed mixed reactions to it being scrapped.

The Golborne Link between the HS2 line through Cheshire and the existing West Coast mainline near Wigan will not be built, the government said on Tuesday.

Homeowner Sid Herrick welcomed the news but said it had been "10 years completely wasted" with stress.

His former neighbour Alan Hulley sold his home and is annoyed the line will not go ahead.

The HS2 project aims to build high-speed rail links between London and Manchester, Birmingham and the East Midlands


The government announced it was ditching the 13-mile (21km) rail link despite its earlier inclusion in the Integrated Rail Plan for improving the Midlands and North.

During the planning stages it changed lives and livelihoods, causing upheaval for those living and working along the route.

HS2 had been buying up properties, including in Lowton, near Wigan, where buildings were set to be demolished.

Mr Herrick, said he "felt great" when he heard the news but it was "10 years too late and I'm knackered".

In the decade since the plan was announced, his neighbours have sold up but he had not been able to and in that time he had a stroke and a heart attack.

Tony Kilbryde said he breathed "a sigh of relief" and can now "plan for the future"


His former neighbour, Alan Hulley, said the change of plan was "a tragedy", even though his house would have been bulldozed.

He said he was annoyed after "waiting six years to move" and having "put things on hold" and described the decision "a missed opportunity for short political gain".

Tony Kilbryde, who owns a motorbike business in Lowton, said he breathed "a sigh of relief" and can now "plan for our own future instead of others deciding it for us".

His shop would have avoided the bulldozers but lost customers with the rail line outside the door.

"It stops you planning anything... they chop and change and seemed to mislead you," he said.

John Barker said he had been "in limbo"


The indeterminacy was also a problem for John Barker who owns a timber yard next door and said he had been "in limbo".

"At least now we know what we're doing", he added.

The decision has also split MPs in the region, with Labour MP for Wigan calling it "devastating" while her colleague Charlotte Nichols in Warrington North welcomed the move, saying the cost was not justified.

HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said the government would now study alternative plans.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
×