All the latest news and views.
Our latest report makes the case for putting rail at the heart of a green post-pandemic economic recovery. Building back better – the green case for rail investment after the pandemic has been developed in partnership with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), and calls for a major investment in high Read more…
Responding to the announcement that HS2 is set to commence full construction, High Speed Rail Group (HSRG) commented: “HS2 is the most significant infrastructure project in a generation and will be a flagship programme as the nation seeks to build back better from Covid-19. “Industry will redouble our efforts to Read more…
By Ed Butcher, Head of Business Development, HS1 Ltd.
As I look on in awe at the massive endeavour HS2 embarks on, I cannot help but wonder what lessons HS1 might have learnt along the way, that could help HS2 deliver more when trains start rolling. On reflection, my key tip from what I have learnt from selling HS1 capacity, is be bolder at construction and future-proof for growth and opportunities.
HS1 and our partners has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. From those now employed in new highly-skilled and highly-paid jobs created by French companies based in London to the thousands of families that can afford a home with a garden because of improved journey times and employment opportunities unlocked by our high-speed connection.
The route has become the transport backbone of the South East delivering £427m of economic benefit last year. However, just ten years after opening we are already reaching capacity constraints on domestic high-speed services that might have been addressed by bolder thinking at the outset – most notably on the needs for domestic rolling stock. With roughly 11% passenger growth a year, HS1 services have been wildly successful and helped change the economic growth trajectory of Kent. Working with government and Southeastern, we are thankfully devising solutions that will ensure these rolling stock constraints are overcome.
Scope creep is the blight of all major infrastructure schemes, threatening viability, and fundability. Therefore, I respect the discipline of keeping a tight lid on costs and a single-minded vision to make a project the scale of HS2 happen. But as we have learnt, single-mindedness can come at the cost of future development and opportunities.
In the case of HS1, residents of Folkestone and Dover now live (more…)
The Costain Skanska joint venture (CSjv) team, working in partnership with HS2, has shared details of its legacy programme that has created vast numbers of local jobs, invested in SMEs and challenged the stereotypical diversity of a construction project. These outcomes known under the term ‘Social Value’ support the long-term wellbeing and resilience of individuals, communities, and society in general.
Costain Skanska’s social value activities have included partnering with Buses for Homeless (B4H), a social enterprise which aims to get homeless people off the street and into full time sustainable employment and accommodation. B4H refurbishes decommissioned London buses into spaces suitable for their guests to live and takes them through an intensive 12-week training programme. The site set up includes separate buses for sleeping; cooking and eating; learning; and wellness and therapy.
Speaking of the initiative, Dan Atkins, Founder of Buses 4 Homeless said: (more…)
Sustainability and resilience have never been more important in transport infrastructure than now. The ambition for a megaproject such as HS2 has always been to build the most sustainable railway of its type in the world. Representing companies with relevant experience and an interest in high speed rail, the High Speed Rail Group is acutely aware of the challenges to industry that the government’s net zero carbon target brings. As part of its commitment to managing carbon footprint, HS2 has also set ambitious targets for its supply chain to minimise the whole life carbon emissions of its assets including buildings. For stations this includes achieving net zero carbon in operation for regulated emissions and achieving a 50 per cent reduction in whole life carbon emissions against a baseline for a typical station.
Arup has produced a design for HS2’s new Interchange station, to be built near Solihull and the NEC in the West Midlands. The station will be one of the best-connected places in the UK, with customers (more…)
The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee recently launched the ‘My BEIS Inquiry’, inviting stakeholders and the wider public to come forward with suggestions for issues the Committee should investigate over the course of this Parliament. The BEIS Committee is open to looking at issues from across the policy remit Read more…
Delivering and future-proofing HS2’s low carbon legacy is complex, but that doesn’t mean the supply chain shouldn’t grab the opportunity, says AECOM’s director of sustainable development Robert Spencer. When the world’s inter-city first steam rail line opened in 1830, running between Liverpool and Manchester, it was welcomed by huge Read more…
Although the Coronavirus crisis has been dominating the headlines, environmental challenges have not gone away. The warm weather that is lifting spirits is also leading scientists to predict that 2020 will be the hottest year on record. Indeed, after the lockdown had already started, the DfT launched a radical consultation to inform its Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP). Calling for less car use and making public transport the first choice for daily travel, it represents a huge change from decades of previous policy.
It is important for HS2 now to rise to this opportunity. In her most recent report, Sadie Morgan, the chair of HS2’s independent design panel, called for more evidence and communication on how net zero is driving HS2 Ltd’s decision-making, calling for action from board level to those working on site. Professor Morgan also sits on the National Infrastructure Commission, which is undertaking a Rail Needs Assessment for the Midlands and the North. Clearly making the carbon case will be important for securing approval for Phase 2b and beyond.
The big challenge here is (more…)
Because of COVID-19, our economy is experiencing an unprecedented shift. Core Cities has drafted a paper which is forming the basis of their discussions with Government on recovery. Recognising that we must do all we can to protect business and jobs, but understanding that business as usual will not return Read more…
The High Speed Rail Group welcome today’s announcement that the Government has issued the formal “Notice to Proceed” (NTP) to allow the construction of HS2 to commence. Following the news, an army of women and men will now set about the task of building Britain’s new north-south railway line with Read more…