The Government has today officially given the green light to High Speed 2 in a widely expected decision that will see a new high speed line built linking London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, with intermediate stations in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.

The capital cost of the project at 2011 prices is expected to be £32.7 billion and the first section, from London to the West Midlands, is scheduled to open in 2026. The second section, including links to Leeds, Manchester and Heathrow, will open in 2032-33. Transport Secretary Justine Greening said that HS2 would also have direct links to the Continent via the HS1 line.

Announcing the decision, Ms Greening said, “I have decided Britain should embark upon the most significant transport infrastructure project since the building of the motorways by supporting the development and delivery of a new national high speed rail network. By following in the footsteps of the 19th century railway pioneers, the Government is signalling its commitment to providing 21st century infrastructure and connections – laying the groundwork for long-term, sustainable economic growth.”

She added: “HS2 is entirely consistent with the Government’s objectives for carbon emissions. Electrified rail is a comparatively low-carbon mode of transport, especially with the continued decarbonisation of the grid. Speed increases power consumption, but also makes HS2 more attractive to those currently flying or driving. The faster journeys on HS2 – Edinburgh and Glasgow will be just 3.5 hours from London – could transfer around 4.5 million journeys per year who might otherwise have travelled by air and 9 million from the roads.”

The transport secretary also announced a package of changes to the proposal to mitigate the effect of the construction of the line on people living along the route, namely:

• A longer, continuous tunnel from Little Missenden to the M25 through the Chilterns;
• A new 2.75 mile (4.4 km) bored tunnel along the Northolt Corridor to entirely avoid major works to the Chilterns Line and impacts on local communities in the Ruislip area;
• A longer green tunnel past Chipping Warden and Aston Le Walls, and to curve the route to avoid a cluster of important heritage sites around Edgcote; and,
• A longer green tunnel to significantly reduce impacts around Wendover, and an extension to the green tunnel at South Heath.

The decision follows a consultation in which the Department for Transport received 54,909 responses from individuals, businesses and organisations across the country.

In response to the decision on High Speed 2, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said:

“HS2 is a vote of confidence in the railways and recognition of the vital role the industry has to play in supporting jobs and driving sustainable economic growth.

“HS2 would help to alleviate the capacity crunch on many of our major rail corridors and offer the prospect of shorter journey times between London and other major English cities. It would also allow for faster and more frequent local services in areas between London and Birmingham, as space is freed up on existing lines.

“By deploying the best of British design and engineering in the construction of the high speed line in Kent we struck the right balance between national and local interest – we can do the same again with HS2.”

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