Is HS2 obsolete because of the autonomous car?
HS2 could be obsolete before it even opens, claims David Starkie, writing in The Spectator on July 1. Starkie - a former member of the Expert Advisory Panel for the Airports Commission
IN June, HS2 Ltd released an Environmental Policy intended to provide a framework for environmental protection and management for HS2.
It set out a series of ten Environmental Principles to help guide and manage potential impacts on the environment:
Achieve no net loss in biodiversity, reducing impacts on species and creating and enhancing habitats.
Design visible elements of the built and landscaped environment in both rural and urban areas to be sympathetic to their local and Senior Associate with Case Associates - believes that self-drive vehicles are the way forward.
“It’s true that the Holy Grail of self-drive technology - the fully autonomous vehicle - context, environment and social setting.
Effectively manage and control noise and vibration to avoid significant adverse impacts on health and quality of life.
Minimise the carbon footprint of HS2 and deliver low-carbon, long-distance journeys that are supported by low-carbon energy.
Minimise the combined effect of the project and climate change on the environment.
Avoid pollutant emissions to air or reduce such emissions, and minimise public and workforce exposure to any such pollutant emissions. isn’t here yet,” he acknowledges.
“But with billions being ploughed into research and the likes of Apple, Google and Uber all joining the race, it’s a safe bet that fully capable self-drive vehicles (most likely
Protect water resources and ensure no material increase of flooding to communities.
Reduce harm to the historic environment and deliver a programme of heritage mitigation including knowledge creation through investigation, reporting, engagement and archiving.
Reinstate agricultural land to its original quality where it has been disturbed as a result of construction.
Source and make efficient use of sustainable materials, reduce waste and maximise the proportion of material diverted from landfill.
electrically powered) will be on sale long before the London-Birmingham phase of HS2 opens.”
Starkie asks why people would want to travel by high speed rail when they could have their own robotically chauffeured private car.
He continues: “There are good odds that HS2 will find itself facing a stalled or even declining market - hitting the buffers before it is even built.”
He suggests that the money set aside for HS2 could be used to build a pathway for autonomous vehicles instead, requiring four lanes as opposed to the equivalent of six lanes required by HS2.
“Billions could be saved,” he claims. “For
WORK is already under way on many aspects of HS2, with a multitude of contracts recently awarded.
More importantly for businesses hoping to work with HS2, plenty of contracts are still to be awarded over the next few months and years, many of which have nothing to do directly with construction. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the upcoming contract opportunities.
A full list of all HS2 contracts, both those that have already been awarded and those still available, can be downloaded from www.hs2. half the cost of providing an HS2 service - which could be obsolete even as it opens - Britain can have a core super-highway network designed around autonomous vehicles.”
Starkie provides no evidence to support his suggestion that autonomous vehicles would have such an effect on the railway, nor for the timescale he foresees this happening in, and nor for why he believes such a “superhighway” would only cost half as much as HS2.
Evidence of passenger demand on the railway to date suggests that new technology outside of the railway does not negatively affect demand, hence the steadily increasing passenger numbers on the network.
For more information on the effect that autonomous vehicles may or may not have on the railway, read RailReview Q4-2016 (below).
ALSTOM and Eurostar are working together to donate two Eurostar power cars that are being retired from service to the National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster and Birmingham.
The two vehicles are being fully refurbished by Alstom. The intention is that these power cars (the ‘nose’ and ‘tail’ of the train) will provide students studying for a role in the development of HS2 with a chance to study existing high-speed technology.
“HS2 will bring huge benefits to passengers,” said HS2 Director at Alstom Jason Baldock.
“But even more crucial is the legacy of skills, apprenticeships and jobs it will create, all over the country.”
The college’s Chief Executive Clair Mowbray said: “This generous donation of two power cars allows us to offer our students the opportunity to develop real-life skills using industry-leading technology. Support like this is crucial for us to ensure that we can properly train and prepare the future workforce for the rail and infrastructure industries.
“We are very grateful for the support we have received from business and industry leaders. As an employer-led college, we are still keen to hear from employers wishing to show support in addressing the current engineering and rail skills gap.
“If you’d like to get involved and work with us to give our young people an insight into the opportunities in this industry, then please contact the college.”
HS2 Ltd will pay for and deliver any bridge and associated works needed for HS2 or East West Rail to cross the other, Lord Callanan confirmed in a Lords Written Reply to Lord Berkeley (Labour) on June 28. The question was in relation to a structure at Calvert.