Britain will have
a national high speed rail network providing vital new capacity
and faster journeys across the country from 2026, Transport
Secretary Justine Greening has announced.
HS2 will be a Y-shaped rail network with stations in London,
Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and the East Midlands
linked by high speed trains conveying up to 26,000 people each
hour at speeds of up to 250mph.
High speed trains will also connect seamlessly with the existing
West Coast and East Coast main lines to serve passengers beyond
the HS2 network in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Durham, York,
Darlington, Liverpool, Preston, Wigan and Lancaster.
It will be built in two phases. The first will see construction
of a new 140 mile line between London and Birmingham by 2026, the
detailed route of which is published today. The second phase will
see lines built from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester by 2033. A
formal consultation on second phase routes will begin in early
2014 with a final route chosen by the end of 2014.
The first phase of HS2 will include a connection to Europe via
the Channel Tunnel. On completion of HS2 the network will include
a direct link to Heathrow Airport.
Key points:
HS2 will increase dramatically passenger capacity along the key
transport corridors of Britain with up to 26,000 extra passenger
seats running each hour that will relieve congestion on existing
intercity routes as well as roads and air routes.
HS2 will mean very substantial time savings between Britain’s
cities, reducing a Birmingham to Leeds journey from 2 hours to
just 57 minutes and a Manchester to London journey from 2 hours 8
minutes to only 1 hour 8 minutes. Birmingham to London journeys
will be almost halved from 1 hour 24 minutes to 45 minutes, 4
minutes less than the fastest 49 minute service featured in the
consultation.
Even cities and towns off the HS2 network - like Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Liverpool, Preston, Wigan, Lancaster, Newcastle,
Darlington, York and Durham – will be served by high speed trains
able to use both HS2 and existing intercity lines seamlessly to
save up to an hour on journeys to London. HS2 will effectively act
as a rail “motorway” network offering greater capacity and speed
while not restricting train services to stations on the HS2
network.
There are no credible alternatives to a new railway line.
Network Rail has judged that alternative packages of rail upgrades
and improvement on existing lines are no substitute to the
long-term and sustainable capacity increase that HS2 provides.
A high speed line will deliver £6.2bn more of economic benefits
than a line running at conventional speed - and around £3.5 more
revenues - at a cost of only £3bn more than building a
conventional speed equivalent. HS2 will cost a total of £32.7bn.
The benefit cost ratio (including wider economic benefits) for
HS2 is £1.80-2.50 benefits for every £1 spent on the cost of the
project. The BCR has been revised downwards slightly due to the
current economic climate but remains convincing.
A commitment to reducing the effects of HS2 will see 79 miles of
the 140-mile line between London and Birmingham running in tunnels
or cuttings. The 22.5 miles in tunnel announced today is a 55%
increase in the amount of tunnelling in the consultation route.
HS2 runs through 13 miles of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty (AONB) but fresh mitigation measures announced
today mean that less than two miles will be at or above surface
level.
HS2 will benefit rail, road and air users. It will free up
capacity on existing rail routes for more commuter, regional and
freight services. It will take an estimated 9m journeys off the
road network and cut up to 4.5m air journeys each year.
HS2 trains will be up to 400 metres long with 1,100 seats,
travelling at speeds of up to 250mph. Double decker trains could
be introduced to run on the HS2 network and would be compatible
with HS1 and the Channel Tunnel. Services using HS2 and existing
rail lines will use standard-size non-double decker high speed
trains.
Transport Secretary Justine Greening said:
“A new high speed rail network will provide Britain with the
additional train seats, connections and speed to stay ahead of the
congestion challenge and help create jobs, growth and prosperity
for the entire country.
“HS2 will link some of our greatest cities – and high speed
trains will connect with our existing railway lines to provide
seamless journeys to destinations far beyond it. This is a truly
British network that will serve far more than the cities directly
on the line.
“HS2 will deliver up to 26,000 more seats for rail passengers
each hour and journey times slashed by as much as half. By
attracting passengers off existing rail lines, roads and domestic
air services, its benefits will be felt far beyond the network. No
amount of tinkering with our Victorian rail infrastructure will
deliver this leap in capacity.
“It is not a decision that I have taken lightly or without great
consideration of the impact on those who are affected by the route
from London to Birmingham. I took more time to make this decision
in order to find additional mitigation which now means more than
half the entire 140-mile line will be out of sight in tunnels or
cuttings. I am certain this strikes the right balance between the
reasonable concerns of people living on or near the line, who will
be offered a generous compensation package, and the need to keep
Britain moving.
“More than a century ago the Victorians built railways that
continue to serve us to this day and just over 50 years ago the
post-war generation chose to invest in motorways, bringing higher
road capacity and faster journeys to millions. Both transformed
the economic and social fabric of this country: HS2 is our
generation’s investment in Britain and our children.”
Confirmation that the new network will be built follows one of
the largest public consultation exercises ever undertaken, which
set out both a high level plan for a complete network and a
detailed route for a first phase from London to Birmingham. Today,
Transport Secretary Justine Greening has unveiled a package of
alterations to the proposed London to Birmingham route to help
ensure the lowest possible impacts on local communities and the
environment. These include:
A longer, continuous tunnel from Little Missenden to the M25
through the ChilternsA new 2.75 mile (4.4 km) bored tunnel along
the Northolt Corridor to 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
EdgcoteA longer green tunnel to reduce impacts around Wendover,
and an extension to the green tunnel at South Heath.
The net result of the changes means that:
around 22.5 miles of the route will be completely enclosed in
tunnel or green tunnel – compared to 14.5 miles for the
consultation route;around 56.5 miles will be in cutting -
significantly reducing the visual and noise impact of the
line;around 40 miles will be on viaduct or embankment – around 10
miles less than the consultation route.
There will be significant improvements for those living near the
route, specifically:
Fewer than five properties will experience high levels of noise
Only 60 dwellings will experience noise levels sufficiently high
to qualify for statutory noise insulation, compared to 150 for the
consultation route - a reduction of over 50% The number of
properties that would experience a noticeable increase in noise
would be reduced by a third, from 4,700 to around 3,100 There will
be four fewer residential demolitions than the route that went for
consultation and there would be far fewer dwellings at risk of
land take - reducing from 342 to 172
The network will be built in two phases with the line from London
to Birmingham expected to open in 2026 with the onward legs to
Manchester and Leeds opening in 2032-33. The Government estimates
the cost of the complete 'Y' shaped network at
£32bn and expects it to generate benefits of £47bn and fare
revenues of up to £34 billion over a 60-year period.
The Department is writing to all those whose homes may be
affected by the new railway and has today also announced a new
package of measures to help those affected by the scheme. These include:
The introduction of a streamlined purchase scheme to simplify
the statutory blight process for property ownersA sale and rent
back scheme to give homeowners in the safeguarded areas more
flexibility The introduction of a streamlined small claims scheme
for construction damage which will allow individuals and
businesses who are entitled to compensation under existing law to
claim it more quickly and simplyA Package of measures to reinforce
confidence in properties above tunnelsA refreshed hardship scheme
Notes to Editors
Economic Case
1. The cost of constructing a Y shaped network linking London,
Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, as well as the Channel Tunnel
and Heathrow, is estimated to be £32 billion.
2. Over a 60-year period, HS2 Ltd’s analysis estimates that a
national high speed rail network would generate benefits with a
net present value of up to £47-59 billion. The net present cost to
Government over the same period of building and operating the line
would be £24-26 billion.
3. On this basis, the Government’s assessment is that the
proposed network would have a benefit cost ratio of between 1.8
and 2.5.
The Government's proposed route
4. The Government’s proposed network would be built in phases.
Phase 1 will comprise an initial London-Birmingham line including
a direct link to High Speed One (HS1). This will run from a
rebuilt Euston station to a new Birmingham City Centre station at
Curzon Street. A Crossrail interchange station will be built at
Old Oak Common in West London, providing direct connections to:
the West End, City and Docklands via Crossrail; to the South West
and Wales via the Great Western Main line; and to Heathrow via the
Heathrow Express.
5. A second interchange station will be constructed where the
line of route passes the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and
Birmingham Airport close to Junction 6 of the M42. It will offer
direct links to Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre
and the M6 and M42. A direct link to HS1 will be provided in
tunnel from Old Oak Common to the existing North London Line, from
where existing infrastructure can be used to reach the HS1 line
north of St Pancras.
6. Phase 2 will see the new high speed line running on to
Manchester and separately to Leeds. HS2 Ltd is currently engaged
in detailed planning work for options for these routes, including
stations in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, as well as for
a spur link to Heathrow. Connections onto the existing West and
East Coast main lines will also be included, allowing direct high
speed train services to be operated to cities including Glasgow,
Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Preston, Lancaster, York, Durham
and Darlington. Further consideration will also be given to
extending the network subsequently to these and other major destinations.
Press Enquiries: 020 7944 3108
Out of Hours: 020 7944 4292 Public
Enquiries: 0300 330 3000 Department for
Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk www.twitter.com/transportgovuk
| www.youtube.com/transportgovuk
| www.flickr.com/transportgovuk
Contacts:
DfT Press Office - Rail
Phone: DfT Press Office 020 7944 3108
nds.dft@coi.gsi.gov.uk