THE incoming chairman of the Government's High Speed rail developer HS2 Ltd has started work formally today, and one of David Higgins' first acts has been to reveal that a new assessment of the scheme will be sent to the transport secretary within two months or so.
It has also been announced that 2,000 apprenticeships will be created at a new college to train HS2 engineers.
David Higgins is now executive chairman of HS2 Ltd, but he also remains chief executive of Network Rail until the end of February, when his successor Mark Carne will take over.
The new HS2 report will re-examine the whole project, and pay particular attention to the timescales to see if construction can be accelerated. The possibility of starting work in the north much earlier is also going to be examined in detail.
David Higgins said he was keen to ensure that there was a close relationship between HS2 Ltd and both Houses of Parliament as the main Hybrid Bill wends its way through the Parliamentary process.
His brief includes a key responsibility to bear down on costs, with the aim of using as little of the contingency budget of £14.4 billion as possible. The official total cost of both phases is still £50 billion, but that includes all the contingency reserve and also some £7 billion for rolling stock.
He told the BBC: "The first thing I want to look at is the overall deliverability. Time: can we make it quicker? Can we get benefits to the north earlier? And then how can we deliver it most effectively? Hopefully that will deliver cost savings."
He also moved to deny the often-heard claims of HS2 opponents that the High Speed rail budget would attract most of the money available for rail investment over the next couple of decades.
"It's not a case of 'we're going to build HS2 so the existing network will suffer'," he said. "There will be around the same amount of money spent every year on the existing network as will be spent on HS2. The most important thing is integrating those plans."
In a related development, it has been announced that there is to be a new college from 2017 with 'cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art equipment' to train engineers for HS2, although no details have been given of a possible location. The new further education site is expected to provide 2,000 apprenticeships.
Business secretary Vince Cable said investment in HS2 should also come with investment in the skills which will help build it. He explained that the college would "train the next generation of engineers in rail, construction and environmental studies that this country needs to prosper".