Latest entries
National Infrastructure Commission publishes first National Infrastructure Assessment
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has published its first National Infrastructure Assessment. The key finding is that Britain has a “golden opportunity” to switch to greener ways of providing energy to homes and businesses without increasing bills. The Commission call for
Submission to the National Infrastructure Assessment consultation
High Speed Rail Industry Leaders has submitted a response to the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) – calling for the UK to commit to the creation of a proper national high speed rail network by 2050. HSRIL sees the NIC as having a vital role to play in helping to define the criteria for investment and [ … ]
Fast Tracking Prosperity in the North West and Midlands
HS2 is not just about faster journey times – it will transform towns and communities across the country. A remodelled hub at Crewe will serve Cheshire, Staffordshire, North Wales and the Mersey-Dee area, bringing transport and economic development benefits through transformational connectivity for all of its users. Our latest report Fast-Tracking Prosperity in the North [ … ]
Ashford International welcomes first modern high-speed train en-route to Paris
Ashford International Station will now see more high speed services from Europe, after the completion of a £10m project that has included an upgrade to the track, adaptation of Ashford’s international platforms and state-of the-art signalling equipment. The improvement to what is known as the Ashford spur means that the track now meets international standards and [ … ]
How HS2 can stimulate private sector investment and regeneration
The High Speed Rail Industry Leaders annual conference assembled 200 representatives at the Leeds College of Music from across industry, local and national government, local economic partnerships and transport organisations. The conference highlighted the ambitious plans that the city of Leeds has, including the station doubling in size and a commercial expansion programme at the heart [ … ]
Our commitment to developing skills and opportunities in the rail sector
High Speed Rail Industry Leaders (HSRIL) has demonstrated its commitment to encouraging diversity and championing the development of training, skills and career opportunities in the rail sector by providing bursaries for three ‘Rail Leader Learners’ to attend the National College of High Speed Rail (NCHSR) and study for the Certificate of Higher Education in High Speed Rail and [ … ]
National College of High Speed Rail preparing the UK’s next generation of engineers and industry leaders
Clair Mowbray, Chief Executive of the National College for High Speed Rail, spoke to Rail Technology Magazine about how the brand-new facility is working to support businesses in upskilling the existing workforce, as well as preparing the UK’s next generation of talented engineers and industry leaders. The new £40m training facility, which includes two state-of-the-art buildings in Doncaster and [ … ]
The Economic Contribution of UK Rail 2018
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has launched a report highlighting the fact that the economic value of the UK rail network is significantly higher than predicted. The rail system is now known to contribute over £36 billion annually to the UK economy, which holds a greater economic impact when in comparison to the food, drink or [ … ]
Ailie MacAdam from Bechtel talks about her career in engineering
Bechtel’s Ailie MacAdam, a former Director at High Speed Rail Industry Leaders, talks to Jim Al-Khalili on Radio 4’s Life Scientific about her career as an engineer. During her 30 years at Bechtel, Ailie has led on major UK and US infrastructure projects, in addition to oil, gas and chemicals projects in Europe and Africa. Ailie talks [ … ]
HS2 makes good progress one year on from Royal Assent
Since Royal Assent was granted last year construction has already begun along the Phase One route, which will run from London to the West Midlands and is due to be mostly completed by 2025. The first train services are expected to run on the line from 2026. Enabling work has already begun, with the main civil engineering [ … ]
Keeping HSR to Scotland in the fast track
It may have been 6 years since Fast Track Scotland was published (which set out the case for Scotland’s inclusion in a UK wide high speed rail network) but the momentum to drive forward this vision is still going strong. Thanks to a tight operational relationship with colleagues from DfT and Network Rail, 2017 was [ … ]
Contractors shortlisted for design and development of HS2 stations
The design and development partners Arup and WSP have been selected to undertake detailed design for the ‘landmark’ Birmingham Curzon Street, Birmingham Interchange and Old Oak Common stations and the rebuilding of London Euston station. The announcement, made by HS2 Ltd, details the four phase one station projects as: Birmingham Curzon Street: WSP UK with [ … ]