Greening gives go ahead for HS2

Transport Secretary Justine Greening has given the go-ahead for a new high speed rail network, but has made changes to the initial London-Birmingham route which forms the first phase of the HS2 project. The changes have been made  to address some of the concerns expressed during the consultation process which received nearly 55,000 responses and which Greening acknowledged generated “strong feelings for and against” the project. Principally, the changes involve additional tunnelling rather than surface running in the Chilterns to minimise impacts on local communities and the environment and take account of the protests by Tory-voting towns.

Under the plans set out by Greening, the first phase of HS2 will see construction of a new 140-mile line between London and Birmingham completed by 2026, with trains running up to 250mph. It will include a connection to Europe via HS1 and the Channel Tunnel.

The route will run from a rebuilt Euston station to a new Birmingham City Centre station at Curzon Street. A Crossrail interchange station will be built at Old Oak Common in West London, providing connections to the West End, City and Docklands via Crossrail, the South West and Wales via the Great Western Main line, and to Heathrow via the Heathrow Express. The direct link to HS1 will be provided in tunnel from Old Oak Common to the existing North London Line, from where existing infrastructure can be used to reach the HS1 line north of St Pancras.

A second interchange station will be constructed close to Junction 6 of the M42 in the West Midlands. It will offer direct links to Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre and the motorway.

Phase 2 of the high speed network is expected to be complete in 2032-33, with onward legs to Manchester and Leeds forming a Y-shaped network, and a spur HS2 link to Heathrow opened. A formal consultation on second phase routes will begin in early 2014 with a final route chosen by the end of 2014.

The capital cost at 2011 prices of building the complete Y-shaped network is £32.7bn. Greening said that at present values, it will generate benefits of up to £47 billion and fare revenues of up to £34 billion over a 60-year period. The net present cost to Government over the same period of building and operating the line would be £24-26 billion. On this basis, the Government’s assessment is that the network would have a benefit:cost ratio of between 1.8 and 2.5.

Announcing her decision, Greening explained that the business case for HS2 was based on providing economic advantages which could not be delivered by enhancements to the conventional rail network. “A new high speed rail network will provide Britain with the additional train seats, connections and speed to stay ahead of the congestion challenge and help create jobs, growth and prosperity for the entire country,” she said. “HS2 will deliver up to 26,000 more seats for rail passengers each hour and journey times slashed by as much as half. By attracting passengers off existing rail lines, roads and domestic air services, its benefits will be felt far beyond the network. No amount of tinkering with our Victorian rail infrastructure will deliver this leap in capacity.”

She added: “More than a century ago the Victorians built railways that continue to serve us to this day and just over 50 years ago the post-war generation chose to invest in motorways, bringing higher road capacity and faster journeys to millions. Both transformed the economic and social fabric of this country: HS2 is our generation’s investment in Britain and our children.”