HS2 in Warwickshire: Transport Secretary announces major reset on national project
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has today (Tuesday June 18) announced a major reset of the HS2 high-speed rail project which has suffered from an “era of neglect”.
Several major works on the line have taken place in Warwickshire in recent years including the Long Itchington Wood Tunnel, a 1,620 tonne, 130-metre, viaduct near Ufton and The Fosse Way bridge near Offchurch.
The project has caused much disruption to villages and on the country roads around the county and sparked protests including in Cubbington between 2019 and 2021 where a group of activists from movements opposing HS2 set up camp in the woods.
Questions have also often been raised as to the cost of the project which is now expected to between £87.7 and £102.7 billion.
The Transport Secretary has now set out plans to deliver the railway as quickly as possible and at the lowest reasonable cost.
The Government has also confirmed HS2 will run at 320km/h (200mph), aligning with speeds across Europe and Japanese bullet trains. In previous plans, HS2 trains were set to run at 360km/h (225mph) but with no existing track to test trains at that speed in Great Britain, adding to spiralling costs and build time.
The Government has said the change in speed could deliver savings of up to £2.5bn and at least a year in delivery time.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “Taxpayers, passengers and communities along the route have been let down by years of mismanagement on HS2.
“I share their anger about the waste and mess, but I am proud that this Government has worked with HS2’s new senior team to get this project off life support and on the road to recovery.
“We will get the job done but we will also take every opportunity to save time and money in the process, getting a grip on delivery, controlling costs, and stripping out the complexity that’s plagued the project in the past.
“We can and must build big infrastructure projects in Britain.
"But we also need competent people in charge of them.
"This is the same team that delivered the Elizabeth Line.
"We have done it before, we will do it again.”
The first trains are now expected to start between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham Curzon Street between 2036 and 2039.
HS2 CEO Mark Wild said: “I recognise this will be unwelcome news for local communities and taxpayers, and I share in their disappointment that it will take longer and cost more to bring HS2 into service.
“Resetting HS2 was the only way to regain control of the project.
"We have turned a corner in the last 12 months with significantly improved levels of productivity, helping us to deliver major milestones ahead of schedule.
"We're also progressing with plans to bring HS2 into line with other high-speed railways in Europe - further reducing the project's complexity without compromising on benefits.
“Better journeys, more capacity on the network, and economic growth are all vital to the country’s future prosperity, and that’s exactly what we will deliver. Driven by the hard work of 31,000 people on the ground, HS2 is finally getting back on track.”