New findings fail to end debate on the economic benefits of HS2

Andrew Forster

Consultant KPMG has conducted further work into the economic benefits of HS2 but the new findings have failed to satisfy one of the consultant’s fiercest critics

28 November 2014

The proposed Old Oak Common HS2 station in west London could support a major new business district. Inset: KPMG’s original report for HS2 Ltd

Government company HS2 Ltd published research last year by consultant KPMG, which concluded that building the London-West Midlands-Manchester/Leeds high-speed rail network would make the UK £15bn a year better off (LTT 20 Sep 13). The finding seemed to clinch a vital argument for the high-speed rail lobby but the good news was quickly replaced by headlines questioning the study’s methods. Two of the country’s leading economic geographers – Henry Overman and Dan...