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'New Midlands rail plan is HS2 in drag'

Jennie AitkenBBC Stoke and Staffordshire political reporter, in Madeley and Whitmore Heath
News imageBBC Bill wears glasses, a shirt, jumper and khaki jacket. He has a white grey beard.BBC
Bill Murray still lives in Whitmore Heath, surrounded by empty homes bought by HS2 before the northern leg was scrapped

"It's HS2 in drag". Bill Murray is not one to mince his words when it comes to a new rail project joining northern England with the Midlands.

Murray lives in the Staffordshire village of Whitmore Heath, along the now-scrapped northern leg of the HS2 route from Birmingham to Manchester.

Many residents there have been left in limbo since HS2 Ltd needlessly bought 35 out of about 50 homes in the village - some of which lie empty, while others have been rented out - to make way for the line.

However, the government has announced a new Birmingham-to-Manchester line is coming from 2040, with ministers saying it will secure growth following the long-promised £45bn Northern Powerhouse rail scheme.

Several Staffordshire MPs have met Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander following the latest announcement.

They have asked for clarity as these plans leave their constituents facing more years of worry and warned the county could be left "sitting in stasis".

The Labour MP for Lichfield, Dave Robertson, called for ministers to rule out HS2 Ltd having any involvement with future rail projects, given the level of "disruption, mistreatment, and failings by the company in the last 17 years".

And Murray has urged ministers to visit the area before any decisions are made on future rail projects.

"Come and have a look at the devastation this has caused to people's lives," he says. "The whole thing is rotten from end to end. I think the government needs to start again."

News imageDeborah wears a hat and raincoat. She is outside, looking off camera, and looks determined.
Deborah Mallender said Madeley was blighted by disruption

Part of the village of Madeley would have been built on for the mouth of a tunnel for HS2 in Staffordshire.

Resident Deborah Mallender argues this new line announcement is about keeping the legislation, which means the government can still use the HS2 land, "warm".

"Public money is already being thrown hand over fist over HS2, which we don't really need in this country, what we needed is local transport," she said.

She added the idea of a new Birmingham-to-Manchester line was "airy fairy", describing it as "simply crackers".

News imageHeidi Alexander smiles at the camera, she is standing on a train platform in the sun, with the train behind her.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander would not rule out whether HS2 Ltd would be involved in the new infrastructure project building a line from Birmingham to Manchester

On a visit to Wolverhampton, Alexander told the BBC she had been talking to the Staffordshire MPs about experiences land and property owners had had with HS2 Ltd.

In response to the question over whether the government would rule out working with HS2 Ltd on any future rail projects, she said "no decision has been taken about a delivery vehicle for the new infrastructure".

"HS2 Ltd do have to improve their performance when it comes to land and property and they way they deal with people in Staffordshire, because it's not been acceptable," she explained.

While any details around the route, who builds it, and when, are yet to be confirmed, one thing we do know is that rail passengers face years of waiting before any service arrives on the new line.

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