In November, the British Government announced the establishment of the preferred route of HS2 – phase II, from Crewe to Manchester and from West Midlands to Leeds. In the same day, HS2 Ltd assigned contracts worth GBP 900 million (over EUR 1 billion).
HS2 will have a significant contribution to the development of the railway network which is now congested, will improve connections between UK’s large cities and regions and will encourage economic development during both the construction phase and the operational phase. The project is already stimulating local authorities and the business environment to set new strategies that are backed by the government in order to maximize the project’s benefits in the crossed regions.
HS 2 is Great Britain’s mega transport project carried out in two phases. The project will deliver transport services from London to Manchester and Leeds. Under the project estimated at GBP 56 billion (EUR 65,5 billion), traffic on the first section will be opened at the end of 2026 and in 2033 on the second section. In the Government Report “HS2 Plus”, David Higgins, HS2 Chairman, estimates that the first phase of the project will require investments of GBP 21,4 billion (EUR 25 billion) and another GBP 3 billion (EUR 3.5 billion) for procurement of trains. The government allocated another GBP 21.2 billion (EUR 24.8 billion) for the second phase which will also be funded by Network Rail.
In 2013, the government set the plans for the second phase of HS2 and since then they decided the development of the second phase in two other sub-phases: phase 2, from West Midlands to Crewe, and phase 2b, from Crewe to Manchester and from West Midlands to Leeds, South Yorkshire and East Midlands. According to estimates, phase 2 will be opened to traffic in 2027, while 2b in 2033, when the entire HS2 line will be fully functional.
By establishing the route that pertains to phase 2, the government commits to develop the railway. In November 2016, Secretary of Transport Chris Grayling confirmed the preferred route from Crewe to Manchester and West Midlands to Leeds, a phase that implies the construction of the line in the form of an “Y”.
“HS2 is an ambitious and exciting project and the government is seizing the opportunity it offers to build a transport network fit for the 21st century. (…) The full HS2 route will be a game-changer for the country that will slash journey times and perhaps most importantly give rail passengers on the existing network thousands of extra seats every day,” Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said.
“The two legs”
In this phase, the project consists of the development of the railway on the east and west side. In the west section, (Western Leg), the route starts from Crewe to Manchester with new stations in Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport and will have a connection to West Coast Main Line (WCML). The preferred route for the Western Leg of Phase 2b has a total length of 82 km. At its southern end, it connects to the Phase 2a route to the south of Crewe. North of there, it passes under Crewe in a tunnel and at its northern end the Western Leg joins the West Coast Main Line (WCML) at Golborne, south of Wigan. A section of the mainline will serve Manchester Airport before entering a tunnel of 13 km to reach the new station adjacent to the existing one in Manchester Piccadilly. Also, the project proposes the construction of a depot north of Crewe (between HS2 and WCML route).
The eastern section (Eastern Leg) includes the development of the railway from West Midlands to Leeds with new stations in Leeds and East Midlands Hub, a connection to East Coast Main Line (ECML) in Church Fenton and other connections to the existing network north and south of Sheffield. The preferred route for the Eastern Leg of Phase 2b is 198 km long and includes a new station in Toton (East Midlands Hub) and a section that will be built to the new station in Leeds. Sheffield city centre will be served by HS2 with trains travelling to Sheffield Midland using a section dedicated to high-speed transport and a junction at Clay Cross connecting the existing network south of Chesterfield. Eastern Leg includes a maintenance depot in Staveley and a rolling stock depot in New Crofton, although HS2 ltd presently evolves in alternative locations for this depot.
Contracts
Several projects have been signed as part of HS2 worth GBP 11.8 billion (EUR 13.8 billion) for civil engineering works between London and Crewe. Works will be launched in 2017. This year, HS2 Ltd appointed CH2M, Atkins and SENER as Phase One Engineering Delivery Partner. They will focus on providing expert engineering and construction management support as well as assisting with preparation for the procurement of the main civils contracts for the London to Birmingham stage of the route.
For the initiation of construction works in the first phase of HS2 between West Midlands and London, in November the Secretary of Transport announced the attribution of three contracts worth GBP 900 million (over EUR 1 billion). The qualified consortia are Area South – CS JV (Costain Group Plc, Skanska Construction UK Ltd), Area Central – Fusion JV (Morgan Sindall Plc, BAM Nuttall Ltd, Ferrovial Agroman (UK) Ltd) and Area North – LM JV (Laing O’Rourke Construction Ltd, J Murphy & Sons Ltd).
“We are determined to get both the Midlands Engine and Northern Powerhouse firing on all cylinders and HS2 will help create new growth, jobs and homes right across the line,” Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said.
In terms of operation, the government announced that a new franchise will combine the existing transport services InterCity West Coast with the development and introduction of HS2 services. The new franchise, West Coast Partnership, will be responsible for both transport services on West Coast Main Line (as of 2019), but also for the design and transport of trains as part of the initial high-speed services starting with 2026. The operator will provide transport services for the first 3 to 5 years for HS2. The winning bidder will collaborate with HS2 Ltd in the design, launch and operation of services on this line and will resume the train timetable on West Coast Main Line. In December, EoI on West Coast Partnership will be published followed by an invitation to tender in October-November 2017. The winner of the tender will begin the delivery of services starting with April 2019.
by Pamela Luica
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