HS2?

There already is an HS1 operating in the UK, running from Kings Cross via Stratford, Ebbsfleet and Ashford, before running through the Channel Tunnel and joining up with other high-speed rail lines in France. The HS1 website claims this is "the UK's only high-speed railway, and trains on parts of the railway can reach speeds of up to 300km/hr" (though the Southeastern website celebrates their Javelin trains instead, with a lower max speed of up to 224km/hr). Also according to a Southeastern press release, over 100 million passenger journeys were made "over the past decade", dating back from 2009 (so 2009-2019, I'm presuming). That's about ten million passenger journeys made per year, or (by extrapolation) about 6% of all Southeastern journeys each year until 2019. Southeastern also claim that the Kent visitor economy had been improved by nearly £1bn due to high-speed rail and journey times have been cut (Ashford to London now only took 43 minutes, a decrease from 81 minutes). All up to 2019, of course.

That long introduction aside, that raises the question over whether the UK should have another high-speed rail line - HS2.

Back in 2016, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling claimed it wasn't unrealistic for HS2 to open on time in 2033. In other words, high-speed rail would be running from London Euston via Birmingham and Crewe up to Manchester, and perhaps Liverpool, Carlisle, even Edinburgh and Glasgow. This would occur in three phases - Phase 1 (London to Birmingham); Phase 2a (Birmingham to Crewe); and Phase 2b (Crewe to Manchester). There were also plans for HS2 East into the East Midlands up to Leeds. Since then, there have been three prime ministers, Grayling is no longer a secretary of any department, and the approval for HS2 to begin construction only came from the government in 2020.

As well as this, plans for the Leeds branch were scrapped in 2021. As well as this, the branch to Manchester (including a spur to Manchester Airport) was now due to be completed as late as 2040, with London to Birmingham now due to be completed as late as 2033 itself (so says a BBC infographic from 2021). Then Prime Minster Boris Johnson told Keir Starmer at PMQs the North would "benefit massively from what we are going to announce (in other words, the scrapping of the railway link)". He then said it would take decades to lay new track through the countryside. They only started operating one of the boring tunnels that will dig through Ruislip in 2022. In March this year, Transport Secretary Mark Harper (the third since Grayling was replaced) admitted the Birmingham-Crewe link or the link to Euston would be delayed by two years. The branch to Leeds will now be a branch to an "East Midlands Hub" by East Midlands Airport, for goodness sake. 

It's like no one actually wants the railway to be built. Labour claimed that they saw a document stating the route might terminate outside London "until 2041". Important to note that HS2 is intended to increase capacity along the West Coast mainline, operated by Avanti who have been criticised for delays and cancellations (though they did have their contract extended by six months for making improvements). 

Then you have potential questions about the environment, as you are building railways through the countryside. Some can be answered through this file discussing the ecological impact of HS2 in relation to Phase 1 (which seems to be the only part of HS2 everyone can agree will actually happen). There is a desire for the scheme to see no net loss to biodiversity, with only three Sites of Special Scientific Interest affected along Phase 1 (London to Birmingham) - areas that are of special interest due to the wildlife, geology and landform in the area, amongst other factors (more here). 30.4ha of ancient woodland would be lost under the scheme, the file admits, but that would be offset through reusing the soil from those woodlands as well as making new woodland. Protests over the enviromental impact of HS2, however, have still occurred, with one group of protestors needing to be removed from a tunnel after 31 days. HS2 were granted an injunction to stop protests along the line last year.

And other issues such as ancient remains and mysterious bubbling pools of foam have also hindered construction efforts.

There are also many changes that need to be undertaken to stations, such as Crewe, with its council claiming back in 2018 that the station needed a new main entrance, road bridge, and parking areas. The station is already a key interchange, with no changes to the station having been made since 1985. There's also Old Oak Common, a super-hub railway station in West London. If all goes well, you'll be able to interchange with Crossrail and Overground services. From my perspective, this reminds me a bit of Stratford's role in HS1 - a London station that could drive up development in the area. But the station hasn't been built yet, and as costs spiral further, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has had to deny claims that this is where HS2 will stop.

To conclude...

HS2, like HS1, has the potential to cut journey times (page 12): London to Birmingham would only take 45 minutes, not 82; Birmingham to Manchester 40 minutes instead of 88; Glasgow (if HS2 were to ever get that far north) to London 220 minutes, not 270. Journey times are cut, more people visit the North, local areas are regenerated, etc. Also, train travel can be important when trying to reduce the impact of motor emissions, especially as HS2 will be fully electric. This can combat global warming.

Yet that can only happen if the government actually knows what is happening. Crossrail has been a great success in London, and that was delayed by six years with spiralling costs. Obviously London is not as large as the whole of the UK, and you don't have all those local authorities to deal with, but if Crossrail can be this successful, and if the economic benefits of HS2 are to be believed, all from various sources, then maybe HS2 should just be built...unless that's not the solution.

But then what is?

I will write up a follow-up to this article if something big happens with HS2.