In terms of rail, what do Spain, France and Germany have in common? The answer is that they have 5,465km of high-speed rail network between them, with a further 2,127km under construction.
By comparison, the UK has 113km of high-speed rail capability operating between London to Kent and the Channel Tunnel but that is set to change with the construction of High-Speed 2 (HS2) between London and Birmingham and further spurs north to Leeds and Manchester, the details of which were announced today.
David Cameron argues that HS2 will secure economic prosperity across Britain, rebalance the economy and support tens of thousands of jobs, whilst others state it will improve journey times between major cities, plus increase passenger and freight capacity.
The latter is most pronounced on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) with David Higgins, chief executive of Network Rail arguing that the UK’s ‘busiest and most economically important line’ will be full in a little over a decade.
In a statement he said, ‘This is a rare chance to stop playing catch-up on capacity. If we get ahead of the game we can create huge opportunities for growth and connectivity.
‘HS2 could be that rarest of things – a genuine game-changer for the railway. It can transform long distance travel, improve daily commutes on existing lines and create space on the network for passengers and freight to transfer from congested roads to an expanded railway.’
Furthermore, the Department for Transport believes HS2 will deliver £2 of benefit for every £1 spent on it before the wider economic benefits are calculated.
Andy Street, chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership believes HS2 presents an opportunity to create a new industry in Greater Birmingham, using the area’s strength as an advanced manufacturing centre to attract the jobs associated with the project to the region.
Preferred routes from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, totalling 211 miles, include the proposed locations of five new stations:
- Manchester, located in the city centre alongside the existing station at Piccadilly
- Manchester Airport, a new interchange station alongside the M56, between Warburton Green and Davenport Green
- East Midlands, at Toton between Nottingham and Derby, and one mile off the M1
- Sheffield, at Meadowhall, connected to the city centre station by a 5-minute rail link
- Leeds, at New Lane, in the South Bank area of the city centre, connected to the current main station by a walkway
The HS2 Phase Two Command Paper can be found here.
In May 2012 Andrew McNaughton, technical director, HS2 Ltd spoke to The Engineer’s Stuart Nathan, arguing that the line will become a vital part of Britain’s infrastructure. Click here to read the article.
Energy infrastructure is high on the agenda in Scotland, which this week hosts the Offshore Wind and Supply Chain Conference.
Scottish Renewables has released figures ahead of the event that claim investment levels in offshore wind have reached £165m.
Of this figure, £65m was invested in 2012 and the total is said to represent all contracts awarded by developers with Scottish companies in advance of any consents being awarded to their projects.
According to Lindsay Leask, senior policy manager for Offshore Renewables at Scottish Renewables, most of the current investment has been made in research, including environmental surveys, technical engineering surveys and project demonstration.
‘However, this flow of private finance is also generating huge opportunities for the supply chain, and once consents for projects are granted this will both motivate new entrants and strengthen those existing companies who are already reaping the benefit of diversifying into this emerging sector,’ Leask said.
Scotland’s renewables represent 5.4GW in installed capacity with a further 4GW in the planning system.
Offshore Wind and Supply Chain Conference is a free event taking place in Aberdeen on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
The event’s organisers say delegates will be able to learn about the ‘key issues crucial to the industry’s success, including cost reduction, electricity market reform, international market opportunities for the supply chain and innovation.’
Britain might be forging ahead with key infrastructure schemes but the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) today cautions that long-term plans are required to maintain the nation’s global reputation for innovation.
The warning comes as the Big Innovation Centre publishes ‘Catapult to Success: Be Ambitious, Bold and Enterprising’, a report that aims to establish what the UK’s Catapult centres should look like by reviewing examples from Europe.
Prof Andy Hopper CBE, president of the IET says the Catapult centres are set to receive over £1bn in investment in the coming years but warns that their success will depend on attracting exceptional talent and being able to ‘develop a symbiotic relationship between academic research and those working in the field.’
‘Whilst this initiative is to be lauded, I urge the government to ensure this is part of a consistent long term approach to ensure we boost innovation and get the UK back on its feet,’ said Prof Hopper.
Finally, while Ferrari, McLaren and Sahara Force India prepare to unveil their new F1 cars this week the motorsport engineers of tomorrow are already readying themselves to take part in the world’s largest student motorsport event
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has announced the preliminary line-up for Formula Student 2013 with teams from Australia, Nigeria, Ukraine, Pakistan and Turkey making up the 149 selected for this year’s competition, including 54 from the UK, 11 from India and the first ever entry from Oman.
Formula Student 2012 winners Chalmers University of Technology from Sweden, and Oxford Brookes University, who designed and built 2012’s seventh placed car, are returning to compete in July.
Formula Student, which takes place in Silverstone on 4-7 July, requires student engineers to design and build a single seat racing car in one year. The cars are then judged on their speed, acceleration, handling and endurance in a series of time-trial races. Teams themselves are tested on their design, costing and business presentation skills.
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