Government has promised to speed up delivery of High Speed 2 to the north and has scrapped a proposed link with HS1 following recommendations made by HS2’s new chairman Sir David Higgins.

Sir David said on Monday that high speed trains should arrive into Crewe six years earlier than first planned, by 2027. He added that he is keen for benefits of the railway to be felt in the north as soon as possible.

His ‘HS2 Plus’ report also suggests that building a dedicated link between the proposed railway and the existing HS1 line through Kent at a cost of £700M may not deliver good value for money. He ventured instead that passengers can transfer between termini at Euston and St Pancras in London much as they do between airport terminals at Heathrow.

In a response later that day, the Transport Secretary said he will commission HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to consider accelerating construction of phase two and the building of a new hub station at Crewe by 2027.

The report also suggested that more can be made of Euston station and Patrick McLoughlin responded by saying that more comprehensive proposals for the redevelopment of the station will be developed, including rebuilding the Euston Arch which was demolished in the 1960s.

Regarding the HS2-HS1 link the Secretary of State said he will take the necessary steps to remove the link from the High Speed Rail Bill and withdraw the safeguarding of this section of the route as soon as possible. “I will also commission a study into ways to improve connections to the continent that could be implemented once the initial stages of HS2 are complete,” he said.

(Photo: Benkid77)

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