In a report presented to the Government today ‘HS2 Plus’ , HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins is calling for building work on the northern section of the £50bn high-speed rail project to run to a hub at Crewe and to be accelerated by 6 years with completion in 2027 rather than in 2033, bringing economic opportunities to the North West sooner than originally planned.
Speaking on the BBC this morning, Sir David said that he Crewe hub was the “right strategic answer and that the section north of Birmingham to Crewe is relatively straightforward to build and relatively lower cost than other parts of the northern network”.
Although 43 miles further north than originally planned, rail users arriving at Crewe would then have easy access to North Wales, Manchester and the West Coast rail line.
The first phase of HS2 is scheduled to link Birmingham and London by 2026.
Under the existing plans connections to Manchester and Leeds are planned for 2032/33.
Sir David also said that HS2 was “vital for the future change of the country and could be a catalyst for fundamental change”.
However, those opposed to HS2, including the HS2 Action Alliance, claim that the scheme is a huge waste of money and will cause irreparable damage to the environment.
Visit http://www.hs2.org.uk/ for more information
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