Sheffield HS2 spur as more easterly alignment selected
SHEFFIELD is to be served by a spur from HS2 Phase 2b, rather than by a station at Meadowhall.
Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling confirmed the Government’s choice of route on July 17, and published the Bill to construct Phase 2a of the new railway to Crewe.
The total cost of the project is expected to be £55.7 billion, with Phase 1 expected to cost £27.4bn, Phase 2a £3.48bn, and Phase 2b £24.8bn.
The main alteration to the original plans published in 2013 is to move 70km (43 miles) of the route between Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to a more easterly alignment, with a 9.2km spur leaving HS2 at Stonebroom to join the Midland Main Line at Clay Cross and allowing classic-compatible trains to serve Sheffield. A connection back to HS2 at Clayton, north of Sheffield, is being developed.
However, the decision has been criticised because it will require the demolition of 16 commercial and 35 residential properties, including 16 on the Shimmer estate in Mexborough.
Because of this change of route, aspirations for a rolling stock maintenance depot at New Crofton have also been dropped, with HS2 reviewing locations for a new site close to Leeds in the Aire Valley.
Elsewhere on Phase 2b, a proposed rolling stock maintenance depot at Golborne is to be relocated to a site north of Crewe (near Wimboldsley), 26km of the railway is to be realigned and raised around Middlewich and Northwich to avoid brining and gas storage infrastructure, and the alignment into Manchester Piccadilly is to be shifted to improve the station’s operational efficiency and avoid direct residential impacts and a primary school.
Near East Midlands Airport, the route will follow the eastern side of the A42 road more closely. This means that a tunnel underneath the airport will no longer be required, and the A42 will not need to be crossed.
In Leicestershire, Grayling has decided not to adopt changes proposed in 2016 for the route around Measham, opting instead for a modified version of the 2013 route, moved closer to the A42.
At Long Eaton, the original ground-level route will be replaced with a 4.7km viaduct over the River Trent flood plain, passing through the town on a 16-metre-high viaduct.
Some changes to Phase 2a have also been confirmed by Grayling. Following consultation in 2016, the connection to the West Coast Main Line and start of a tunnel in Crewe have been moved further south. The proposed infrastructure
maintenance facility will be moved from the Basford area of Crewe to near Stone.
Speaking in Parliament on July 17, Grayling said: “HS2 will be the new backbone of the UK rail network. It will transform a rail network built for the 19th century into one designed for the 21st century. It will increase capacity and connectivity across our rail network, bring our country closer together, and support economic growth. The benefits of HS2 will be felt across the whole of the United Kingdom.”
The Government’s latest analysis suggests that with wider economic impacts included, the Benefit:Cost Ratio (BCR) for the whole HS2 network is 2.3, and for Phase 2b 2.6. Although these have declined, the BCR for Phase 2a has improved, from 1.3 to 1.9. Total predicted benefits are said to be £92.9bn at 2015 prices.