| | HS2 Phase I | HS2 is a new high-speed passenger railway network that has been proposed by the Government to connect major cities in Britain. Phase I will connect London and Birmingham in the West Midlands (221 km), and Phase II would extend the network to Manchester (an additional 150 km) and Leeds (an additional 185 km). Construction of Phase I is scheduled to begin in 2017 with an indicated opening date of 2026, while completion of the entire network is proposed for 2033.
The overall aim of HS2 is to vastly improve inter-urban rail service through increased capacity and improved connectivity between London, the Midlands, and the North. Phase I will release capacity on the existing rail network between London, Birmingham and the West Midlands (West Coast Main Line). This might enable WCML to focus more specifically on freight and regional passenger services.
With a maximum speed of 250 mph, trains are expected to travel between London and Birmingham in 49 minutes.
More than half the Phase I route will be in cuttings or tunnels, with about 90 km partially or totally hidden to reduce visual impacts and noise. For example, in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) over 18 km of the route will be in tunnels, green tunnels or cuttings, with just over 2 km of the line on the surface.
HS2 is a publicly funded project. The total budget for Phase I is £21.4 billion (£15.6 billion projected cost, plus £5.8 billion contingency). The total budget for Phase II is £21.2 billion (£12.5 billion projected cost, plus £8.76 billion contingency). There will also be £7.5 billion spent on new rolling stock.
For more information see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-strategic-case-for-hs2 |
| | WCML upgrade | Train service between London and Birmingham is currently provided by the West Coast Main Line (WCML). This section of the WCML is a very busy four-track railway that caters primarily to short commuter journeys between neighbouring cities along the route (Watford, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Rugby, and Coventry). The proposed upgrade is aimed at making the WCML more suitable for long-distance travel.
The specific WCML upgrade alternative considered here consists of
(1) increasing passenger capacity on the existing rail line through a programme of (a) lengthening the trains that provide intercity and suburban services; (b) increasing frequency (up to 16 trains per hour on the fast lines); and (c) switching first class coach to standard class in order to increase the number of seats available;
(2) increasing train speed on the existing rail line through infrastructure improvements to (a) tackle bottlenecks; (b) modernise junctions; and (c) provide additional tracks in certain locations.
This upgrade is expected to increase maximum train speed to 140 mph (from 125 mph today) and reduce travel time between London and Birmingham to 73 minutes (from 85 minutes today). This rail package is expected to cost in the region of £2.6 billion, but could be expanded incrementally (e.g., upgrading the Chiltern line).
For more information see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-speed-rail-strategic-alternatives-study-update-following-consultation and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-volume-5-alternatives-report and https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-strategic-case-for-hs2 |
| | High Speed Rail along M1 motorway | This alternative high-speed rail route would follow existing motorways. This alignment would follow the proposed HS2 route from Euston to Old Oak Common, where it would then head due north following the M1 and M45/A45 towards Birmingham.
The alignment along the M1 corridor through Luton is the only viable route between London and the West Midlands that can avoid the Chilterns Area of Natural Beauty (AONB). This alternative would therefore have lower impacts on nationally protected ecological sites, ancient woodlands and Biodiversity Action Plan habitats.
Following the curvature of the M1 motorway requires lower speed. The maximum speed would be 186 mph, which is the same as HS1 between London and Paris. Travel time between London and Birmingham on this route would be 55 minutes.
By following the M1, this route would encounter several large population centres, including Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes, and Luton (a combined population of 480,000 people). In order to reduce the impact on communities, this route involves substantial sections of tunnelling, thus increasing the project’s cost and complexity. Lower speed would reduce noise, thus also helping to reduce the impact on communities. Still, this alternative involves demolition of numerous dwellings. The cost of constructing this route would be £2.2 billion more than for the proposed HS2 route.
For more information, see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-hs2-london-to-west-midlands-route-selection-and-speed |
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