Fewer, slower trains proposed for HS2 line
RUNNING SLOWER and fewer trains on the new HS2 line are among the options available to keep the rail project within budget, its chief executive has said.
Phase 1 of the £56bn high speed rail link will open between London and Birmingham in December 2026 before the railway is extended to Crewe, Manchester and Leeds. HS2 trains are designed to operate at up to 225mph and also serve locations on the existing mainline network, such as Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
But at a meeting with MPs, HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Thurston said train speeds and frequency could be changed in an effort to reduce cost.
Details of the meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Rail Group in November were revealed in a letter from Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom to Mr Thurston in which she raised concerns about the “viability” of the project.
Ms Leadsom said options discussed included possibly lowering train speeds by around 50kmph (30mph), reducing train numbers from 18 to 14 per hour, and changing from a slab to a ballast track.
The MP for South Northamptonshire, an area through which the proposed HS2 route will run, wrote: “My constituents are naturally concerned that changes to the project could undermine the business case, negatively affect the benefit-cost ratio, and reduce the value for taxpayers’ money”.
In a written response to Ms Leadsom published on her website, Mr Thurston, who leads the company responsible for developing and promoting the UK’s new high speed rail network, said it was ensuring the project was “on time and within budget”.
HS2 Ltd declined to comment further.