Becky Lumlock
On the tenth anniversary of HS1, Chief Executive DYAN CROWTHER explains the line’s economic value to RICHARD CLINNICK, and outlines her plans for the future
Network Rail’s Wessex Route Managing Director BECKY LUMLOCK describes her first year in the job.
On November 13 2007, Eurostar ran trains in and out of Waterloo International. The following day, the same operator was serving St Pancras International - High Speed 1 (HS1) was open for business.
When Eurostar began operating trains to the continent in 1994, France’s high-speed connection to the Channel Tunnel was already up-and-running (meaning that Class 373s could run at 186mph), but the UK’s wasn’t.
It would be September 28 2003 before the first part of HS1 opened, between Dollands Moor and Fawkham Junction (north Kent), although trains would still have to use the existing third-rail system into Waterloo ( Britain’s busiest station).
Finally, in November 2007, under Barlow’s magnificent train shed at St Pancras, passengers were able to travel at 186mph all the way from the Channel Tunnel into London.
Two years later, very high speed domestic trains began running, using six-car Hitachi Class 395 Javelins. Commuters saw their journey times cut dramatically - services that had taken over an hour were diverted onto HS1 and trips from Ashford to the capital now took as little as 37 minutes.
There were concerns that passengers now had to cross the city to reach their place of work, which meant time saved on HS1 was lost on the commute. But London was changing - Tube upgrades were under way, and major parts of the city were being redeveloped. The area around King’s Cross and St Pancras was run down with a reputation for drug abuse and prostitution, while Stratford was a building site some five years away from hosting the spectacular Olympic Games of 2012.
Critics suggested HS1 would not pay its way, and to an extent that has been the case. Today there are still only two passenger operators using it - Eurostar and Southeastern.
Two freight companies also use HS1 - DB Cargo and GB Railfreight - but the freight market through the Tunnel has been affected by issues surrounding migrants and security. There have been UK trials involving an SNCF parcels TGV ( RAIL 693) and a Deutsche Bahn ICE train ( RAIL 654), but neither has yet resulted in a service.
DB has said it still intends to run trains to the
UK from Germany, but that has yet to happen. No date has been confirmed, and the market could face a period of instability as a result of Brexit.
HS1’s Chief Executive Dyan Crowther was appointed in September 2016 and formally took up the role at the start of this year (replacing Nicola Shaw, who left the rail industry in May 2016).
Crowther transferred from Govia Thameslink Railway, where she was Chief Operating Officer. At the time of her appointment, she said: “High Speed 1 is the UK’s only high-speed line, which has transformed rail travel through Kent and into the continent. Its growth and performance in the last nine years are testament to its success.”
HS1 Chairman and Acting CEO Rob Holden also said at that time: “As someone who joined the rail industry as a graduate, Dyan’s experience made her an extremely strong candidate. She has a strategic understanding of HS1 as a business and a vision to take it forward.”
One year on from her appointment, Crowther is cheerful and excited about upcoming celebrations planned for HS1 and (next year) for St Pancras.
“We have a day scheduled in November for celebrations. People from HS1’s past are attending - everyone is coming together to celebrate the achievements.
“One of the things, though, is that we are keen to focus on the future and what HS1 is doing to support that.”
She tells RAIL that as part of the celebrations, questionnaires have been handed out inviting people to respond to the question: ‘What has HS1 done for you?’ Crowther suggests that a lot of businesses in Kent have welcomed the railway and the economic growth it has brought.
This is supported by a report published