POLITICS
HS2 – where are we at and what happens next?
It’s one of the most divisive subjects Parliament has ever had to discuss. The Conservative Party leadership contest
could decide whether it happens, or not. Chamber members are as divided as the rest of the country. And it’s not Brexit. Last month, the Government was roundly criticised for its handling of HS2. A report by the House of Lords Economic
Affairs Committee claimed the current project failed to address key failings of Britain’s current passenger rail system. It also censured HS2 for putting too much emphasis on journey times - HS stands for High Speed - and not focusing on issues of passenger capacity. The report, Rethinking High Speed 2, didn’t
call for a halt to the project, which some had feared and could still happen when Theresa May leaves as Prime Minister, but did call on Government to rethink its overall approach, particularly when it came to the cost to the taxpayer.
A QUICK RECAP HS1 was the essential high-speed line built between London and Folkestone to accommodate Channel Tunnel trains.
HS2 will have a transformative effect on the region
‘The bill taxpayers currently face is about £55.7bn – which is higher than initially thought and more than the House of Lords thinks is necessary’
HS2 Phase 1 is the high-speed line currently
under construction between London’s Euston station and Birmingham. HS2 Phase 2A will be the short link between Birmingham and Crewe and then HS2 Phase 2B will be the two branches – the upper arms of the ‘Y’ connecting Manchester in the west and Leeds, via the East Midlands and Sheffield, to the East. The bill taxpayers currently face is about
£55.7bn – which is higher than initially thought and more than the House of Lords thinks is necessary. Part of the cost comes from the aspirational
aspects of HS2 for trains to be able to run at 400kph (almost 250mph), which would make it one of the fastest railways in the world and considerably quicker than, for example, France’s 300kph (186mph) TGV railway. The Lords’ report says that aiming for 400kph on HS2 Phase 2B has led to the need for the
planned track to be drawn on a straight-line principle, resulting in extensive groundworks, tunnels, cuttings and a viaduct through the centre of Ilkeston. Billions of pounds could be saved, the Lords
argue, by allowing the track to follow a more meandering route with a top line speed of 300kph, the report says. Despite discussing the directness of the route,
the report made no mention whatsoever of Toton, Chesterfield or Staveley, all three of which offer transformational opportunities around the development of HS2. The HS2 grand plan calls for a trains’
maintenance yard at Staveley, which will create high-grade engineering jobs alongside necessary administrative roles, something for which the local economy is crying out for. The addition of Chesterfield as an HS2 station
stop on the way to and from Sheffield promises extensive regeneration around the station.
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