High Speed Two News
Government unveils plan for HS2 route north of Birmingham
UK transport secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed the majority of the preferred HS2 route from Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to Leeds. The government hopes new HS2 trains will carry over 300,000 people a day and triple the number of seats available out of Euston at peak hours.
First HS2 section to open in 2027
A final decision on the HS2 route between Fradley in the West Midlands and Crewe has been announced, with the government confirming its intention to open this section of the line six years earlier than planned, in 2027. In confirming the route, the UK transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has issued safeguarding directions for Phase 2a of HS2, to protect land from potential conflicting development.
Economic case for HS2 rail questioned in UK
The government has not yet made a convincing case for HS2 and must do so before parliament passes a bill to enable the construction of the first stage of the railway to begin. This is the conclusion of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee, in a report published today.
High-Speed 2 rail link questioned by National Audit Office
In an early examination of progress by the department for transport in planning for the High Speed 2 rail network, the National Audit Office has expressed reservations about the Department’s business case. In particular, in presenting its case for investment in the project, the department is said to have poorly articulated the strategic need for a transformation in rail capacity and how High Speed 2 will help generate regional economic growth.
UK government unveils proposals for HS2 rail project
The department for transport has unveiled its preferred route for the HS2 High-Speed rail project in the north of England. The £32 billion project will run north from Birmingham, taking in five stops: Manchester; Manchester Airport; Toton; Sheffield; and Leeds.
High Speed 2 given mauling by Institute of Economic Affairs.
High Speed 2 – a proposed high-speed rail link between the north and south of England – is “economically flawed”, according to research from the Institute of Economic Affairs. As such it is not “commercially viable” with taxpayers likely to face a “high proportion of the financial risks”, argues the free-market think tank.
Private investors eye High-Speed Two
Global Infrastructure, Eurotunnel and Allianz are among the frontrunners believed to be eyeing up the construction of Britain’s High Speed Two, after Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Transport, announced plans for the £33bn mega-project to be sold to private investors to raise funds.
Commons to probe High-Speed 2
The HS2 rail scheme, is to be the subject of a Parliamentary committee inquiry, it has been announced.
UK launches high-speed rail consultation
Tourism in the UK could be radically altered by the development of a new high-speed rail line linking London with the north of the country. As many as six million passengers could move from air travel to the line when it is completed in 2030 the coalition government argues, potentially hitting low-cost carries the hardest.
UK government establishes compensation fund for High-Speed 2
Britain’s planned High Speed Rail network has taken a small but significant step towards realisation after the government launched a compensation scheme for households that will be affected by its construction.
UK govt poised to greenlight high-speed network
Plans for a new high-speed rail network between London and Scotland could be agreed as early as March, according to the Transport Secretary Lord Adonis. The network would feature 200mph trains and cut journey times to the north of Britain by half to just over two hours.
HS2 will be the ‘Union Railway’ of England and Scotland
High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd is the company set up by the Government to consider the case for new high speed services between London and Scotland.