UPDATED proposals for a new 400km/h High Speed line from London to Birmingham—and how to extend it to Manchester and Leeds—will be presented to the new coalition government at the end of August. Meanwhile, a major public consultation on the revised plans will begin early in the New Year, Railnews has learned.

The new report, which follows original plans published in March for a High Speed network, will focus on four key issues since creation of a coalition government in May.

Public opposition
After the original plans were announced, there was growing, extensive public opposition to the route through the Chilterns—an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty—and South Warwickshire, including protests from farmers concerned they are not included in a proposed Exceptional Hardship Scheme for properties ‘blighted’ by the proposals. One group in Buckinghamshire and neighbouring counties, the Chiltern Society, has set up a formal ‘fighting fund’.

Debate over Heathrow link goes on
The original HS2 proposal did not include a route via Heathrow, although this had been proposed before the general election by the Conservatives—who also proposed to halt the development of a third runway at London’s hub airport, which was confirmed after the election.

Earlier, Labour transport secretary Lord Adonis had asked a former Tory transport secretary, Lord Mawhinney, to review whether HS2 should serve Heathrow. After the election the new Conservative transport secretary, Phillip Hammond, asked Lord Mawhinney to continue with this study. Mr Hammond also asked HS2 Ltd to look again at the case for serving Heathrow.

Routing rethink
HS2 Ltd proposed that the first stage of the new network should go from London to a new interchange station near the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham International Airport.  From there a spur line would take trains into a new station in Birmingham city centre’s Eastside, while the main line would continue to join the existing West Coast Main Line at Lichfield.

HS2 Ltd also proposed, as a second stage, that HS2 should diverge beyond Birmingham International into two branches, one to Manchester and the other via the East Midlands to Leeds.  This is the so-called ‘Y’ network.

However, Conservative plans for a High Speed line were predicated on a route from London, including Heathrow, to Manchester, then on to Leeds—the so called ‘reverse S’ alignment.

The new government has now asked HS2 Ltd to make further comparative assessments of the ‘Y’ and ‘reverse S’ options. Phillip Hammond has also asked HS2 Ltd to look again at the case for linking HS2 to HS1 so that High Speed trains from the North and Midlands can go via the Channel Tunnel to Continental destinations.
 
As a result, HS2 Ltd is now also reviewing opportunities for additional domestic services, such as between Birmingham and Ashford, Kent.
Timing.  The Labour government envisaged work on HS2 starting in 2017, as Crossrail was completed and spending of around £2 billion a year could be diverted to starting the High Speed network, and construction resources could be rolled over from Crossrail to building the new line—which might be completed to Birmingham by 2025.

However, the Conservatives had always envisaged preparatory work beginning in 2015.  There is also concern that every future demand estimate suggests the southern section of the present West Coast Main Line will reach capacity, around 2020, well before a High Speed line would be constructed.

Support for link with HS1
Lord Mawhinney has now concluded his review, and said: “It makes sense if possible to create a seamless link between HS1 and HS2, and I believe such a decision would be popular.”

But he also said that during the early stages of a High Speed rail network “there is no compelling case for a direct high speed rail link to Heathrow,” adding that “a London-Old Oak Common interchange could provide an appropriate, good quality terminus and connection point to the airport.”

Lord Mawhinney said changing the route of the main High Speed line to run via Heathrow would cost an additional £2 - £4 billion “which was not likely to represent value for money to the taxpayer or the train operator”.

More significantly, Lord Mawhinney also recommended that the ‘initial’ London terminal for HS2 should be at the proposed Old Oak Common interchange with the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail. This, he said, would ensure “effective use be made of the £16 billion Crossrail project and other rail and tube connections to provide access to passengers’ final destinations, including Heathrow.”

If this recommendation is adopted—avoiding, or leaving until a later date, the original proposals and costs of constructing tunnels from Old Oak Common to an greatly expanded Euston station—and preparatory work on HS2 began in 2015, it may be possible for the first stage of the new line to be completed to the West Midlands by 2020, five years earlier than originally envisaged.

Stephen McFarlane—a former Department for Transport civil servant, now working as HS2 Ltd’s West Midlands Business Case Manager—told a conference in Birmingham on 22 July that the plan is to begin a major public consultation exercise early next year on the proposed route, and for a Hybrid Bill to be laid before Parliament so that enabling works to could begin in 2015.

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