An under-reported study has emerged proposing several strategic alternatives to the HS2 Phase 2b Eastern Leg – the contentiously cancelled project in the UK government Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP). An independent assessment on behalf of the UK government’s Department for Transport offers alternatives to the dedicated high-speed line that would have served important cities, including Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds, and ultimately connected HS2 to the East Coast Main Line.