Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the proposal published by Chris Gibb, HS2 – Getting the job done… a new approach in May 2024, and (1) whether any such assessment compared capacity and journey times with HS2 Limited’s latest plans, (2) whether it outlined how they will consider forecasted demand in the 2040s, and (3) what assumptions they made on pricing and compulsory reservation strategy and their role in managing unconstrained demand.

Aspects of the proposal have been analysed for their technical feasibility and how they would support passengers on HS2 in the long term. The Department is working with industry on potential interventions to further improve journeys for Northwest passengers when high-speed services operate on the West Coast Mainline.

In addition, the Northern Growth Strategy announcement of January 2026 set out the Government’s intention to ultimately deliver a full North-South new line between Birmingham and Manchester. This will enable the Government to safeguard future growth for the long term by ensuring the West Coast Main Line corridor offers sufficient capacity and good connectivity.