Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the decision to pause the development of HS2 Phase 2B East and to reduce the maximum number of trains on Phase 1 from a planned 18 to 10, what plans they have to review (1) the design of the approaches to Euston station, and (2) the option of terminating all 10 HS2 services at the Old Oak Common station.

The Phase One trunk section is being constructed with the capability to operate up to 18 trains per hour and the Government remains committed to bringing the benefits of high speed rail to the East Midlands, Yorkshire and beyond. The Integrated Rail Plan will consider how Phase 2b of HS2 can be delivered with other major rail investments in the North and Midlands to ensure these are scoped and designed as part of an integrated network, and to make sure people see the benefits of better services more quickly.

In response to the Oakervee Review conclusions, the Department for Transport has commissioned a study looking into the design and construction efficiency of the future Euston station as a whole, including considering options to simplify the HS2 approaches into the station. The study is ongoing and the selection of an optimised design and delivery strategy, will include consideration of all relevant engineering and operational factors.

Advice from HS2 Ltd is that no more than 6 trains per hour can reliably be operated from Old Oak Common within the existing station design. There are no current plans to consider terminating all HS2 services at Old Oak Common.