HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, we seem to be heading towards the worst case scenario of a lower spec, further delayed and ultimately even more expensive project.  Hard to see any winners from this announcement, other than the incumbent government of course.

[Electric train]

Yes, we seem to be heading towards the worst case scenario of a lower spec, further delayed and ultimately even more expensive project.  Hard to see any winners from this announcement, other than the incumbent government of course.

They need the cash to bribe the voters with tax cuts before 2024 General Election

[stuving]

This is from Mark Harper's written statement to Parliament today on "Record investment plans for transport network ":

In rail, HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) is making good progress, and we have already spent over £20 billion delivering Phase One between London and the West Midlands, supporting 2,500 businesses and creating over 29,000 jobs. The government is prioritising HS2’s initial services between Old Oak Common in London and Birmingham Curzon Street to provide delivery of passenger benefits as soon as possible. We remain committed to delivering HS2 services to Euston, and will address affordability pressures to ensure the overall spending profile is manageable. We will therefore take the time to ensure we have an affordable and deliverable station design, delivering Euston alongside high-speed infrastructure to Manchester. We continue to take the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill through Parliament, and the Crewe-to-Manchester section will also form the foundations for improved rail services in the North through Northern Powerhouse Rail.

The government is committed to delivering HS2 Phase 2a between Birmingham and Crewe. Wehave seen significant inflationary pressure and increased project costs, and so we will rephase construction by 2 years, with an aim to deliver high-speed services to Crewe and the North West as soon as possible after accounting for the delay in construction. Work continues on progressing commitments made in the Integrated Rail Plan to develop HS2 East, the proposed route for HS2 services between the West and East Midlands, and to consider the most effective way to take HS2 trains to Leeds. HS2 continues to represent a very significant investment into our national infrastructure, levelling up communities right across our country, providing a net-zero alternative to car travel and domestic flights, and training a skilled workforce for the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)’s future construction industry.

There are other transport projects mentioned in the statement, with delays of two or more years to the Lower Thames Crossing and some other road schemes.

[infoman]

Could any one supply a map of what will or won't go ahead in the West London to Euston corridor?

Thanking you in advance.

[Electric train]

Could any one supply a map of what will or won't go ahead in the West London to Euston corridor?

Thanking you in advance.

The Old Oak to Euston section was always going to be delivered latter than the Old Oak to Birmingham.   It has always been my view that most passengers from / to the North will more than likely change at OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) due to its connectivity, HEX, Elizabeth Line.   The Elizabeth Line with its direct link into the West End, City, Docklands, Heathrow; easy connections at Farringdon via Thameslink to St Pancras (HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel)), Gatwick, Cambridge, Brighton etc, why would you want to go to Euston?

The driver for the Government at Euston is the money to be made by the redevelopment of the area from the building of the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) station

[TaplowGreen]

Close, though, although that doesn't always matter in votes. Are they now going to ask for work to stop and all holes to be filled back in?

In the end it didn't even get debated.....

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/03/hs2-not-debated-at-green-party-conference/

[IndustryInsider]

A huge blow for democracy.

[grahame]

From New Civil Engineer

NCE understands that a portion of the team at HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) Ltd’s Euston station site have been made redundant following the government’s decision to rephase the works on the terminus.

HS2 Ltd has declined to comment until those affected are informed.

Earlier this month, transport secretary Mark Harper announced that the government is “prioritising HS2’s initial services between Old Oak Common in London and Birmingham Curzon Street”. This meant pushing back the delivery of Euston station for delivery at the same time as Phase 2b (Crewe to Manchester) of the project – due to be completed between 2035 and 2040.

This has seen teams at Euston demobilised as the contractors involved reassess their workload on the project. Mace Dragados JV, the main contractor, had around 360 people working on the site, while the design team – Grimshaw, Arup and WSP – has a combined 600 further staff working on the project, with half of them operating on site. The firms are expected to redeploy staff to other parts of the HS2 project or other schemes where possible, but redundancies are inevitable.

[ChrisB]

I hope they complete or remove the lane closures on Euston Road then before they go. Causing major jams, they need clearing quickly

[grahame]

From neighbournet

The Elizabeth line could struggle to hold thousands of passengers if the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) service does not continue to Euston, an MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) has warned.

Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter has raised concerns about what would happen if the fast-speed railway was to terminate at Old Oak Common.

Last week the government announced HS2 trains may not continue on to their final destination of Euston station until about 2040 after the £100 billion rail project was adapted to save money.

But Transport Secretary Mark Harper has promised to prioritise the first stage of the project between Birmingham and Old Oak Common station, next to Wormwood Scrubs Prison.

Under stage one, passengers would be expected to travel on to Central London for half an hour on the Elizabeth line. But there are concerns about whether the trains will become too busy.

[Electric train]

From neighbournet

The Elizabeth line could struggle to hold thousands of passengers if the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) service does not continue to Euston, an MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) has warned.

Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter has raised concerns about what would happen if the fast-speed railway was to terminate at Old Oak Common.

Last week the government announced HS2 trains may not continue on to their final destination of Euston station until about 2040 after the £100 billion rail project was adapted to save money.

But Transport Secretary Mark Harper has promised to prioritise the first stage of the project between Birmingham and Old Oak Common station, next to Wormwood Scrubs Prison.

Under stage one, passengers would be expected to travel on to Central London for half an hour on the Elizabeth line. But there are concerns about whether the trains will become too busy.

It's my personal view that a large percentage of HS2 passengers will chose Old Oak Common over Euston because of the better connectivity it will provide via the Elizabeth Line than Euston offer via the Vic and Northern lines and even if the Circle Line is better connected to Euston Station

[ChrisB]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will be stopping at Old Oak too....

[IndustryInsider]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will be stopping at Old Oak too....

Few will want to go east only to Paddington though.

[TaplowGreen]

HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) Sounding ever more like the Acton to Solihull Line -  won't commit to Euston though he does commit to Manchester........although as Andrew Neil points out you can get there in 2 hours already.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/michael-gove-t-guarantee-hs2-134938065.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANZIJnrEvvh6gOn5_pYVqxzgbc0cm0YM7pWTS_UUTI5ZxZCOQ2fltFvUkwda718DdSoMRLEc9HeigJv67QNKD-dTB6iSOWJjyvxQZLrWxmYXZEufSzuhFYFrMl1gDK3-M07tsIzADCBwFVobtaxaXDNdQ8BAb1r2e33ow5cqWZAp

[bradshaw]

National Audit Office report on the proposed Euston development. The conclusions are quite critical.

   Conclusions
DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)’s and HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) Ltd’s attempt to reset the programme since 2020 has not succeeded and further action is now required to develop an affordable and viable station. DfT and HS2 Ltd have been working to reach an affordable solution since 2015, but this highly complex project continues to present significant challenges. While it was necessary to look again at the design and costs of the station in 2020, the budget for Euston station was fixed too early and too low for what was intended to be achieved. DfT and HS2 Ltd have made efforts to reduce costs and improve governance. However, they have not been able to develop an affordable scope that is integrated with other activity at Euston and a further reset is required.
The changes DfT has announced to the HS2 programme provide the time that may allow it and HS2 Ltd to move the Euston project forward on a more stable footing. However, the deferral of spending to manage inflationary pressures will lead to additional costs and potentially to higher spend overall for the project that will need to be managed closely. A successful reset will need DfT and HS2 Ltd to have a clear understanding of the costs, risks and benefits of their chosen design for the HS2 station within the wider Euston programme, supported by a realistic budget, clear and effective governance and integration arrangements, and long-term certainty on the scope of the project. DfT and HS2 Ltd cannot yet demonstrate that the conditions are in place to secure value for money.

https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/high-speed-two-euston/