Train passengers face price hikes and fewer seats after HS2 cancellation

8 comments

1. Trains could be 20% over capacity for standing and seated passengers by the time HS2 is finished.

   Prices are set to be hiked on [train routes](https://inews.co.uk/topic/train-travel?ico=in-line_link) between London, Birmingham and Manchester due to the cancellation of [HS2](https://inews.co.uk/topic/hs2?ico=in-line_link), **i** can reveal.

   According to documents seen by **i**, the UK’s existing train network faces an [overcrowding crisis](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/late-trains-put-up-poor-wi-fi-overcrowding-ruins-rail-travel-2507339?ico=in-line_link) as a result of issues caused by the decision to cancel the northern leg of the high speed railway.

   Trains are expected to carry thousands of fewer passengers a day, closures to repair the line are likely to increase and fares will likely have to rise to curb demand.

   According to policymakers, aborting the HS2 northern section will worsen the already poor state of the rail on one of the UK’s most important rail lines.

   Within five years, there is expected to be an 8 per cent drop in capacity for trains going from London to Glasgow, due to current government plans.

   These plans would see HS2 trains continue up the West Coast Main Line on the existing track, despite the HS2 track ending at Birmingham New Street.

   HS2 trains are able to carry around 50 fewer passengers per service than a current Pendolino train as existing stations north of Birmingham do not have long enough platforms for two trains to be “tethered” together, as had been planned on the dedicated HS2 line.

   This would mean there would be around 6,000 fewer seats between London and Manchester per day, 4,000 fewer to Liverpool and 2,000 fewer to Glasgow.

   By the scheduled completion of HS2, there could be 20 per cent more passengers wanting to board trains than they are built for, causing serious problems for the future of the line.

   This includes standing passengers, meaning 20 per cent more passengers than an already full train, including those standing.

   According to industry sources, price increases would be needed to artificially reduce demand, due to the lack of capacity. It is currently unclear how high prices would need to rise.

   The precise nature of price rises will not be known for years, but would be necessary to prevent severe overcrowding on some services.

   A rail industry source told **i** it was “so obvious it was inescapable” that a new rail line linking England’s three main cities would need to be completed, due to the problems with capacity.

   Diagrams seen by **i** show that the route between Wilmslow at Manchester is expected to be “at capacity” with additional capacity issues outside of Stafford following the cancellation of HS2 to Manchester.

2. Government logic… >at least we won’t have woke trains 👍

3. Never got how many braindead climate activists opposed this

   Spent days living in a tunnel to help continue this countries stagnation

4. I see, the HS2 that a spad convinced Sunak was a white elephant etc, so now it’s obvious its capacity is needed.

5. It possible that Labour could un-cancel it. We’ll see.

6. The fact that tickets are already expensive, especially on some lines really makes the idea of them increasing prices to reduce demand depressing.

7. Nationalise the railways and bring the prices in line with most of Europe. Couldn’t afford to travel by train in the UK as it is.

8. Prices having to rise due to cancelling the project is hilariously ironic given that one of the main arguments made by anti-HS2 NIMBYs was that the cost of travelling on HS2 trains would be so expensive that only the wealthy would have been able to afford it.