Government urged to back HSR facility

Network Rail Chairman Sir

Peter Hendy CBE is among the industry and civic leaders calling for the Government to invest in the Institute for High-Speed Rail and System Integration being developed by the University of Leeds.

Construction was paused at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is uncertain how long it will be delayed.

The university is asking the Government to underwrite the capital costs of the Institute, which would allow it to open sooner. The facility is designed to identify and eliminate problems experienced on rail infrastructure schemes such as Crossrail, where new technologies failed to integrate, causing delays, faults and breakdowns.

“The Institute represents a game-changing opportunity for the UK in both conventional and high-speed rail research and innovation,” said Hendy.

“It will provide the UK with a whole-system approach to railway testing, development, validation and certification, facilitated through closer industry collaboration.

“At Network Rail we are planning to utilise the facility to mitigate the delivery risks to some of our projects such as the Trans-Pennine and East Coast Upgrades.”