Recommendation 19

The Department and HS2 Ltd have repeatedly promised that High Speed 2 will bring about a wide range of benefits that go beyond the increase in capacity and reduction of journey times on routes between major cities. These promised benefits include jobs, economic growth, investment and regeneration. The Department told us that High Speed 2 was not just a railway, but a “catalyst for investment, jobs and growth”, and that the strategic case for High Speed 2 depends on these promised economic benefits.49