Rail minister confident private investment will turn Euston into ‘life science quarter’

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Speaking to the Transport Select Committee on 30 November on the subject of the high speed line, Merriman said that areas such as Euston and also Bradford were opportunities where the private sector could help either fund parts of the infrastructure or provide the extra funding to improve areas around stations. 

Commenting on the Network North plan which was announced in October after prime minister Rishi Sunak cancelled HS2 north of Birmingham, Merriman said: “We do need to harness the private sector to deliver [it].

“If you look at Bradford as a classic example [of investment opportunity]; whilst the government has dedicated £2bn over to Bradford to be able to deliver a new station connection, we then need the private sector investment off the back of that so that it delivers, from the commercial space to housing, the hospitality that helps Bradford completely master plan its transport and civic centre.”

Faced with scepticism from Transport Committee members, Merriman said that he would look into how the government could “better put together a prospectus for the private sector to invest in our railway development”.

The challenge laid down by the prime minister in October was for private sector investment to pay for the new HS2 terminus into Euston. London mayor Sadiq Khan and National Infrastructure Commission chief Sir John Armitt have both expressed scepticism that this will be successful.

Quizzed on what the latest developments are at Euston, Merriman said that Alan Over, director general of the High Speed Rail Group and SRO for HS2, had met with the global chief executive of Lendlease at Euston on Sunday, along with Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy, to outline options going forward. Merriman stressed however that it was early in the process.

He added that previous designs for Euston to be an 11 or 10 platform terminus meant that the station footprint “crowded out” space for private development to make the scheme work economically. The Euston station that is proposed to be delivered through a private partnership will only have six platforms.

He continued.“What we’ve had now with Network North is a complete reset moment. Our stakeholders recognise that they need to look at their own ambitions again.”

The rail minister said he was “very confident that all the ambition and the culture is there to allow the private sector to deliver not just the station component and the other parts, but actually a life science quarter that will completely change the way London operates”.

He continued: “This is one of the largest public sector land deals left in London and I believe that this reset moment will allow us to be able to deliver. It’s a challenge, absolutely it is, but I feel confident that we can do so because everyone is working together and is firmly behind it.”

Merriman’s comments echo those given to the Transport Committee by Sir John Armitt and Hendy earlier this week that a “clear plan” for rail will attract private investors.

Merriman also said that the Department for Transport were looking at new options for Crewe, and how the government can alleviate some of the impact that cancelling Phase 2a and 2b of HS2 has had on the area. 

“With regard to Crewe I particularly want to look at what is needed,” Merriman said. “I recognise the disappointment [of cancelling the project] and will look at what more can be done to assist Crewe, especially as there was land purchased in anticipation [of HS2 Phase 2a] being built.”

In March, the Department for Transport agreed to carry out a feasibility study into a capacity upgrade at Crewe station as part of HS2 Phase 2b.

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