NEWS
HS2 phase two route published – ‘a genuine game-changer for rail’
The second phase of HS2, the route for which has now been unveiled, will shorten the journey time from London to Manchester to 1 hour 8 minutes, and to Leeds in 1 hour 22 minutes.
Chief executive of Network Rail, Sir David Higgins, has heralded it as “that rarest of things – a genuine game-changer for the railway”.
The Government has announced the details of the extension from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds as the top part of the Y-shaped network, scheduled to be completed in 2032.
The extension will have fi ve stops: in Manchester, alongside Piccadilly station; at Manchester airport interchange by the M56 between Warbuton Green and Davenport Green; East Midlands at Toton, between Nottingham and Derby, one mile from the M1; Sheffi eld at Meadowhall shopping
centre; and Leeds at New Lane in the Southbank area connected to the main station by walkway.
There will also be a dedicated link alongside the line at Crewe to link- up with standard trains. However, a proposed spur to Heathrow will be considered pending the results of Sir Howard Davies’ review of future airport capacity, due in 2015.
Journey times between
Manchester and Birmingham will be reduced to 41 minutes, and between Leeds and Birmingham down to 57 minutes, almost half the current duration.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “This is an unparalleled opportunity to secure a step-change in Britain’s competitiveness and this Government will do everything possible to ensure that the towns and cities in the Midlands and the North get the connections they
need and deserve to thrive.” Geoff Inskip, the lead on rail issues for pteg, said that HS2 would have a “truly transformational effect on our cities”.
He added: “Importantly, we’ve got the time to plan properly for
high speed and to make sure our local transport networks are ‘HS2 ready’ and well-connected into the high speed services.”
Full reaction to the
announcement is online at www.
railtechnologymagazine.com
6 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 13
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84