England’s second high-speed rail network is set to proceed following the recommendations set out in the Oakervee review of HS2, which has been published today (Feb 11, 2020).
Addressing the House of Commons, prime minister Boris Johnson said the review ‘leaves no doubt of the clinching case for high speed rail’, adding that services could be running by the end of the decade if work on the project starts now, with Phase 1 costed at between £35bn and £45bn ‘in today’s prices’.
Johnson said: “Dramatic improvements to local transport and the decision to proceed with HS2 will shift this country’s centre of gravity away from the capital and transform connectivity between our towns and cities.
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“I am drawing a clear line under the mismanagement of the past – HS2 must be delivered more efficiently and cost-effectively so that communities feel its benefits more quickly, particularly those in the North.
“After thorough analysis of the benefits and impacts of the project, work on Phase 1 [between London and Birmingham] is set to start in April. Government will revive the legislation to deliver Phase 2a [connecting Birmingham to Crewe] as soon as possible so that preparation works can move forward.”
HS2 Ltd, which was set up to develop and promote HS2, was criticised by Johnson for poor management and failing to distinguish itself in the handling of local communities. Consequently, HS2 Ltd’s role will be redefined so that it ‘can give maximum focus to successfully delivering Phase 1 and 2a, and making new delivery arrangements for Euston station and the design and construction of Phase 2b, to ensure better value for money and on time delivery.’
A new minister will be appointed with specific oversight and accountability for HS2, delivering regular updates to Parliament.
A decision on the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail and Phase 2b of HS2, extending high-speed rail from the West Midlands to the North, will be based on an assessment by the National Infrastructure Commission, and will take forward lessons learned from Phase 1 of HS2 to drive down costs.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Nick Baveystock, director general of the Institution of Civil Engineers, said: “On balance, today’s decision is the right one. The challenges that HS2 seeks to solve are significant. With the UK’s population set to reach 75 million in the coming decades, we must have a rail network that can meet the demands of commuters, now and in the future, by addressing overcrowding, resilience and reliability.
“The government has also rightly recognised that HS2 should be properly integrated into the wider rail network – a holistic approach to infrastructure planning always delivers better outcomes. Focus should now be redirected to the future planning and delivery of HS2 – ensuring that its benefits, not just its costs, remain at the forefront of people’s minds.”
Sounding a note of caution, Prof Roderick Smith, Imperial College London, said: “Whilst I hugely supportive of the need for HS2, it is disappointing that a complete review of the project has not been announced. What is proposed is the wrong kind of railway, expensively designed which completely lacks the public support which is vital for such a massive infrastructure project. The way in which the railway will promote development has not been thought out, and the shape of a completed network has not been considered. What we are now promised is a complete and expensive dog’s dinner!”
Reaction round-up
“With HS2 expected to boost the West Midlands economy by £14bn, it will change our business environment for the better. The region is also home to the UK’s first multi-city 5G testbed, and is about to host the 2021 City of Culture and 2022 Commonwealth Games. With so many milestones on the horizon, the coming decade will showcase the West Midlands as a global hub for innovation and opportunity.” Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company
“HS2 will not just boost the UK’s economy and connectivity, but will also enable other major rail infrastructure projects to be delivered too, such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, Midlands Rail Hub, East West Rail, Crossrail 2, and a range of other schemes.” Darren Caplan, chief executive, Railway Industry Association
“It is estimated that HS2 will use 2 million tonnes of steel over the next 10 years and the UK’s steel producers stand ready to supply the steel for the new track, rolling stock, tunnels, bridges and much more besides. The use of UK made steel for HS2 would support over 2,000 jobs, and deliver £1.5bn to the UK economy – ensuring the benefits of this project are not just felt along the route, but in steel communities across the UK.” Gareth Stace, UK Steel director general
“HS2 provides the perfect platform to develop a highly-skilled workforce across numerous technical sectors…The impact of Brexit has…meant further losses to the available skillsets to draw from, meaning now, more than ever, we need to broaden our talent pools into overseas markets to plug this gap.” Adrian Adair, COO, Morson Group
“While we welcome the commitment to the project as a whole, we urge the government to move ahead with purpose to ensure that Phase 2 isn’t compromised, recognising that HS2’s true benefits hinge on extra capacity for cities and regions beyond Birmingham.” Lizi Stewart, transportation managing director – Atkins
“The time for talking is over. We all have a stake in the successful delivery of an integrated, modern transport system, fit for 21st century Britain. Now is the time for us all to pull together and get behind this transformative scheme to ensure that its benefits are felt in the towns across the North.” Roger Marsh, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) & NP11
Well, thats all the ones who seem to benefit financially…Nothing about the poor householders et al who will suffer hell from the project…oh, also those living near the line. Speed, speed ,speed…not much about standards of life for way either side of the track. Ah well, who can stand in the path of progress, eh……?
A mixed bag of views, as one would expect. Lets hope that the new minister, appointed with specific oversight and accountability for HS2, keeps a regular and watchful eye upon proceedings in order to best ensure successful completion and integration of the new links, as far as is possible, to the satisfaction of the majority of end users.
As Nick Baveystock, “.. we must have a rail network that can meet the demands of commuters..”
So as the most significant proportion of commuting traffic is in the S East – this means for London only; and that is the “capacity” that is being described.
Johnson said: “Dramatic improvements to local transport and…. transform connectivity between our towns and cities.” So it hoped that this means there will be some improvement for local transport; and especially from the many who have their needs ignored for transport (rail especially).
It is noticeable that most of the supporters quoted are benefiting from all the money spent (such as the railway supply lobby and the construction industry – who desperately need something to keep them afloat) – and would like to hear what the true benefits are – including what capacity and where (as the lobbyists seem to be evasive on this).
A complete waste of money. They may be bigger and faster trains, but that means they will need more separation between them limiting any capacity. They are only passenger trains too so wil have no impact on potential freight transport improvements which themselves cannot offer any efficiancy advantages over lorries. And at the end of the day all they will be doing is extending the dormitory zone around London to a very limited number of hubs. Thereby doing nothing for those who reside anywhere else. What we need instead of the soundbite tokenism is to massively increase electricity infrastructure to allow practical use of EVs. Are they going to have massive car parks at the new rail hubs, all with a charging outlet at each space? Clearly our current politicians have absolutely no concept of long term strategic planning beyond the greedy desire to maximise short term profits for the few to hoard in offshore bank accounts, and hang the future!
I read today that tickets are expected to be at premium prices. So that rules out a high percentage of the population as customers. A vanity project if ever there was one!
Regarding connectivity – I recall from many years ago that one of the promulgated benefits of the Channel Tunnel and associated HS Rail connections was to be the ability to ‘board a train in Manchester and wake up in Paris’. In these days of seeking to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft, why is there no connection/continuity through London between HS1 and HS2? An obvious shortcoming in my opinion as high speed trains will be capable of offering similar travel times when the compexities of negotiating airports are taken into account!
This remains a massive vanity project that has no direct benefit for huge parts of the country (West of England, Wales, East Anglia, East Midlands and ironically large parts of the South East).
The project is ill conceived and was developed as a “must have” to match other countries. The arguments regarding capacity ring hollow given so much line and route capacity has been deleted in pursuit of alleged savings. Were these ever properly accounted for or was it all economic vandalism, binary funding and interference by bureaucrats?
HS2’s connectivity is seriously limited to major cities. How will Coventry, Milton Keynes, Stafford & Stoke on Trent fare in the new arrangements?
The likelihood that there will be a rush of freight onto the network once HS2 is completed (this year, next year, sometime..never) is unsubstantiated. Rail freight needs to completely and fundamentally re-position its technical, operational and commercial model if it is to regain a credible long term market position. More of the same will not be an attractive or competitive option.
The merging of the HS2 franchise and the existing classic line franchises seems like a piece of sleight of hand to effectively dragoon passengers onto the new service. If separated I suspect other train operators would set up services which could closely compete with HS2 on time and cost. This would of course dilute the claimed cost benefit which is already under the government’s own declared threshold level.
All of this ignores the fact that the cost estimates advised to parliament were false. Other estimates of the total cost of the complete scheme including required public transport links and rolling stock are not far South of £240 billion.
As for completion dates the evidence based on CrossRail and the GW electrification is hardly encouraging. The London terminus arrangements have dismissed any direct HS1/HS2 links so a trudge along the Euston Road seems like the preferred option for travellers wanting to use services to/from Europe (It is still there!). Brunel & Stephenson must be rotating in their graves like turbines on steroids.
Paris has the same problem, if I travel by train from Zürich to London I have to use the Metro to go between Gare eu Lyon and Gare du Nord. This is a legacy of the various pioneering train companies all trying to reach the capital.
What a load of nonsense we continue to get from the nay-sayers. Why would a high-speed rail line have multiple stops for the likes of Stafford and Stoke? All that would do is slow the line down and be self-defeating. Why would a link between London and Birmingham provide a benefit for East Anglia? Just get the job done and accept it suits those it suits. Then move on to Northern Powerhouse rail and get that done. If anyone mentions newts shoot them.
We pay too much heed to single-issue minorities, which is why HS2 and Heathrow 3 are years behind while the rest of the world laughs and gets on with things.
“My mama says … that stupid is as stupid does!” ….. to build 60 year old ancient technology choo-choo track….. when hyper-loop technology is on the horizon. Only a politician could not see beyond their nose …probably because its covered in pie 🙂
If the benefits are that good why does the work have to happen in series?, why can’t work start on the “northern powerhouse” stage at the same time as the HS2? It would save a lot of time and, in the long run, Money.