The Secretary of State for Transport has asked HS2 Ltd to explore options for reducing complexity, which could cut costs by billions and reduce delays on the HS2 project.
This measure is part of the government’s reset of the high-speed rail project to ensure faster delivery of trains and more efficient provision of high-speed services following years of mismanagement.
As part of this comprehensive reset, HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Wild will examine alternative high-speed rail options that could save billions for taxpayers and significantly shorten construction time.
“This government is determined to deliver the HS2 project as efficiently and effectively as possible. To that end, I will examine every opportunity to reduce construction time, save taxpayers’ money, and ensure the project delivers real benefits to the country. I share the public’s outrage over the waste and problems of the past, which is why this government is getting HS2 out of the rut and putting it on a more rational course,” said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
HS2 was originally designed for speeds of 360 km/h, but no railway in the UK is currently built for 360 km/h.
This means that HS2 would have had to wait until the route was completed to test the trains, an approach that would have increased costs and delayed the project’s completion.
The new options would have a negligible impact on estimated travel times and would allow passengers to use the new high-speed service sooner. The measure would align HS2 with proven high-speed models, such as HS1, Japan’s Shinkansen trains, and France’s TGV network, all of which operate at speeds of 300–320 km/h.
The Current Status of the HS2 Project
After investigating new opportunities to reduce costs and delivery times, Mark Wild will present a report to the Secretary of State for Transport this summer, along with an update on the progress of the HS2 project. This will ensure that the updated cost and schedule estimates are robust.
Under Mark Wild’s leadership, HS2 is moving forward. Currently, approximately 30,000 workers and thousands of companies across the UK are contributing to the project’s implementation. In West London and the West Midlands, HS2 is estimated to add GBP 20 billion (EUR 23 billion) to the economy and facilitate the construction of 63,000 new homes over the next 10 years.
“I have made a commitment to the Secretary of State for Transport that I will take control of HS2 and put an end to the project’s rising costs and delays. Now that performance is moving in the right direction, thanks to the hard work of the 30,000 people directly involved, we are now justifiably exploring options to generate even more efficiencies,” said Mark Wild.
Over the past year, he has delivered six major construction milestones ahead of schedule, including:
- Completion of excavation for the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) Bromford Tunnel in the West Midlands—marking the end of excavation for all 23 miles (37 km) of deep tunnels in the first phase of the railway line.
- Sliding a 14,500-ton box girder—the heaviest of its kind in Europe—under the A46.
- Completion of the assembly of the second of the two tunnel boring machines at Old Oak Common, allowing the first machine to begin excavation of the Euston Tunnel beneath London in January, while the second began last week.
- Northolt Tunnel – the last of the four tunnel boring machines was brought to the surface at Green Park Way, West London, after excavating an 8.4-mile (13.5 km) tunnel between West Ruislip and Old Oak Common, three months ahead of schedule.
- Station Road – installation of girders to support Station Road in central Buckinghamshire over the HS2 and national rail viaducts (Calvert).
- Greatworth Tunnel – completion of the fifth of nine 400-meter segments of what will become the longest HS2 green tunnel, at 2.7 km.
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