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View offers Hi {{fullName}} * My Independent Premium * Account details * Help centre * Logout (BUTTON) News > UK > UK Politics SNP fury as HS2 finds 'no business case' for taking fast train service to Scotland The link would have cut journey times to and from London by 90 minutes * Mark Leftly @MLeftly * Sunday 24 May 2015 00:00 {{^moreThanTen}} * {{total}} comments {{/moreThanTen}} * An HS2 train crosses a viaduct near Birmingham, in this artist’s impression ( PA ) The £50bn High Speed Two rail link will not be extended to Scotland, as the team behind the project has found there is “no business case” for the undertaking. The Scottish National Party reacted with fury when The Independent on Sunday passed on the news, its Transport spokesman Drew Hendry describing it as a “snub” to Scotland that ignored the “undeniable economic case” of a new railway linking London to Glasgow and Edinburgh. When the then Transport secretary Lord Adonis launched HS2 in 2009, he claimed it would be “the union railway, uniting England and Scotland, north and south, richer and poorer parts of our country, sharing wealth and opportunity”. But HS2 is currently focused on reducing journey times from London to Birmingham to 49 minutes, before it splits into lines to Manchester and Leeds over two phases. However, it was hoped that HS2 would still ultimately reach Scotland, so commuters could travel from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London in three hours, against about four-and-a-half hours today. Download the new Indpendent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines (BUTTON) Download now The SNP's Transport spokesman, Drew Hendry, right, has described the news as a “snub” to Scotland (Getty) A team at HS2 Ltd, the official organisation behind the project, is working on a fresh report into speeding up train times between the capital and Scotland, to be presented to its board later this year. A source said that this team has moved on from the idea of extending HS2, to “enhancements” on existing lines. An engineering industry source also confirmed that an extension was no longer viewed as a tenable option. Sir David Higgins, HS2 Ltd’s chairman, has previously hinted that an earlier report into the idea had found that enhancing existing lines was “more realistic”, but that no definitive conclusion had been reached. Read more * Five new SNP MPs to watch * SNP show hits Westminster with 'unacceptable' clapping * SNP unveils its Westminster frontbench team Hopes have also been dashed that a proposal to link HS2 with the High Speed One railway from London to the Kent coast – the Channel Tunnel Rail Link – could be revived. Some rail experts thought that this would be of huge economic benefit to the North and the West Midlands, as business leaders from Paris or Brussels could reach Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham without time-consuming route changes. The HS2 source said: “There are two things to know about HS2. One, it will terminate at Euston; two, it will not link up with HS1 or Scotland. HS2 is now looking at enhancements and there may be the odd bit of new track here and there, to reduce journey times between Scotland and London. There’s no business case.” Inside Politics newsletter The latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox ____________________ Enter your email address (BUTTON) Continue (BUTTON) Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences Register with your social account or click here to log in receiveBrexit_______ [ ] I would like to receive updates on politics every morning by email Update newsletter preferences Created with Sketch. Tom Jeffreys: walking the HS2 line Show all 11 Created with Sketch. Created with Sketch. (BUTTON) Created with Sketch. Tom Jeffreys: walking the HS2 line 1/11 The proposed route of HS2 “My journey begins at Euston station, 8am” Tom Jeffreys 2/11 The proposed route of HS2 “There are plenty of strange looks as I set off, rucksack on and walking stick in hand, in November’s crisp sun” Tom Jeffreys 3/11 The proposed route of HS2 “...through the nearby housing estates now scheduled for demolition” Tom Jeffreys 4/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I spot a kingfisher streaking along the Misbourne from Middlesex into Buckinghamshire” Tom Jeffreys 5/11 The proposed route of HS2 “Over the ensuing days I walk over golf courses, past Conservative clubs, through garden villages and industrial estates, all the while trying to visualise the passing presence of a high-speed train” Tom Jeffreys 6/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I walk through the rolling Chilterns, cross its fields and motorways” Tom Jeffreys 7/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I walk among ancient woodlands, over battlefields and along disused railways” Tom Jeffreys 8/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I give thanks for the village pub, and the village shop.” Tom Jeffreys 9/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I startle foxes and pheasants, steer well clear of fearsome horned farm animals.” Tom Jeffreys 10/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I get very wet, and very lost. But above of all, I meet people. “Are you a wildlife photographer?” I’m asked at 7am in a Ruislip newsagent” Tom Jeffreys 11/11 The proposed route of HS2 The line from London to Birmingham 1/11 The proposed route of HS2 “My journey begins at Euston station, 8am” Tom Jeffreys 2/11 The proposed route of HS2 “There are plenty of strange looks as I set off, rucksack on and walking stick in hand, in November’s crisp sun” Tom Jeffreys 3/11 The proposed route of HS2 “...through the nearby housing estates now scheduled for demolition” Tom Jeffreys 4/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I spot a kingfisher streaking along the Misbourne from Middlesex into Buckinghamshire” Tom Jeffreys 5/11 The proposed route of HS2 “Over the ensuing days I walk over golf courses, past Conservative clubs, through garden villages and industrial estates, all the while trying to visualise the passing presence of a high-speed train” Tom Jeffreys 6/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I walk through the rolling Chilterns, cross its fields and motorways” Tom Jeffreys 7/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I walk among ancient woodlands, over battlefields and along disused railways” Tom Jeffreys 8/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I give thanks for the village pub, and the village shop.” Tom Jeffreys 9/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I startle foxes and pheasants, steer well clear of fearsome horned farm animals.” Tom Jeffreys 10/11 The proposed route of HS2 “I get very wet, and very lost. But above of all, I meet people. “Are you a wildlife photographer?” I’m asked at 7am in a Ruislip newsagent” Tom Jeffreys 11/11 The proposed route of HS2 The line from London to Birmingham Mr Hendry said that it would be “outrageous if the UK Government planned to snub Scotland on HS2”. The SNP has previously argued that HS2’s construction should actually start in Scotland, rather than in the South. Mr Hendry, who secured one of the big scalps of election night by defeating the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, added: “Including Scotland in HS2 would be transformative, and not only deliver greater economic and business returns but also maximise environmental benefits. “The Westminster establishment ... seems committed to keeping Scotland in the slow lane. “There is an undeniable economic case to connect Scotland to the rest of the UK and the Continent. [It ...] will improve connectivity and remove barriers for businesses in remote and rural parts of the country.” Business and political leaders in the North-east will also be furious as they believed any stops on a new line in the region would also benefit their local economies. The SNP has previously argued that HS2’s construction should actually start in Scotland, rather than in the South (Getty) Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leadership contender who has called for high-speed railways to be built across the UK, said: “This shows a staggering lack of ambition for the economy of the North.” HS2 Ltd’s board minutes from December show “a further update” on a Scotland link would be handed to the board in six to 12 months. The minutes stated that there had been a presentation on Scotland that had discussed the “development of high speed rail and the enhancement of the existing route, including associated sustainability and environmental issues and topographical and geographical challenges”. An HS2 Ltd spokesman said: “Work on improving the links to Scotland is ongoing.” Comments Share your thoughts and debate the big issues Learn more (BUTTON) {{#singleComment_p}}{{value_p}} Independent Premium comment{{/singleComment_p}}{{^singleComment_p}}{{value_p}} Independent Premium comments{{/singleComment_p}} (BUTTON) {{#singleComment_open}}{{value}} open comment{{/singleComment_open}}{{^singleComment_open}}{{value}} open comments{{/singleComment_open}} Open Comments Join the discussion (BUTTON) Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. * You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully * Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable * Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties * We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. 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SNP fury as HS2 finds 'no business case' for taking fast train service 1/3 An HS2 train crosses a viaduct near Birmingham, in this artist’s impression PA 2/3 The SNP's Transport spokesman, Drew Hendry, right, has described the news as a “snub” to Scotland Getty 3/3 The SNP has previously argued that HS2’s construction should actually start in Scotland, rather than in the South Getty