We welcome the announcement of the HS2 rolling stock contract to the Hitachi/Alstom JV as a huge step forward for the project. The contract will see the construction of the first 54 HS2 trains at factories in County Durham, Derby and Crewe, creating 2,500 skilled jobs. The HS2 trains will offer Read more…
The publication of Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review is recognition of the incredibly important role of rail – and of high speed rail – in providing much needed connectivity benefits across the UK. High Speed Rail Group welcome the planned creation of UKNET – a strategic approach to development Read more…
HS2’s construction partner for the West Midlands – Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) – has announced it has hundreds of new jobs to fill across its supply chain. With local job vacancies ranging from apprenticeships, to site operatives and office-based support roles, BBV is encouraging residents to step forward and consider Read more…
Music producer and rail enthusiast Pete Waterman visited HS2’s Long Itchington Wood Tunnel site in Warwickshire to unveil the name of HS2’s first tunnel boring machine (TBM) on the northern section of Phase One. During a ceremony on the construction site, which is managed by HS2 joint venture Balfour Beatty VINCI, Pete revealed that Read more…
This is a submission from the HSRG to the consultation on Transport for the North’s (TfN) Decarbonisation Strategy. The submission highlights the role of high speed rail and HS2 in decarbonising the transport system including across the TfN area and how HS2 should be harnessed to achieve modal shift – Read more…
An open letter to the Prime Minister, regarding the importance of HS2’s Eastern leg, from HSRG and the Railway Industry Association: Dear Prime Minister Last year you rightly committed your government to deliver HS2 in full. You did so because you understood it is the UK’s most important infrastructure project Read more…
As the Government prepares to publish the Integrated Rail Plan and make a decision on the Eastern Leg of HS2, it must listen carefully to the voices of Yorkshire and the North East that will be most impacted by the consequences of that decision. Our report – HSR Yorkshire & Read more…
A new railhead near the village of Calvert has been opened which will help HS2 continue to deliver construction material by rail to its biggest Buckinghamshire site without putting extra lorries on local roads. The new railhead – the second to be built at Calvert – will allow HS2 to Read more…
We spoke to Samuel McCabe, a Mechanical Design and Engineering Apprentice working in Wolverhampton for Alstom: Can you describe your role in a few words? I carry out design for refurbishment and modernisation of trams and trains. What were you doing prior to this? Prior to my apprenticeship I attended Read more…
The process to procure the construction contractor to build the HS2 Interchange Station has started with bidders asked to put themselves forward for the £370m contract. Interchange Station will be one of the best connected stations on the high-speed network in the Midlands, sitting as an integral part of the growth Read more…