Ambitions to cut High Speed 2 journey times between London and Scotland to under three hours have been agreed by both the UK and Scottish governments.

 

Options will be identified from next year to help deliver the faster target time and cost estimates for achieving the three hour goal range from £17Bn to £43Bn.

 

On Monday a report was published by HS2 Ltd setting out how the three hour target could be met. They include upgrades within the footprint of existing railway, building high speed bypasses along constrained sections of track and constructing new lines on either side of the Pennines.

 

Scottish Government Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown, speaking at an event at Edinburgh Waverley station said: “This plan will bring to life our target of three hours or less from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London, which will lead to a significant move from air to rail, bringing big reductions in carbon emissions.”

 

UK Government’s High Speed 2 Minister Robert Goodwill added: “Together with the Scottish Government we will be asking Network Rail to identify any options with a strong business case, for consideration for inclusion in future plans.”

 

Achieving the three hour journey to Scotland would be achieved incrementally. When Phase One opens in 2026 trains between London and Glasgow will take three hours and 56 minutes. Completion of a route to Crewe the following year will reduce journey times to three hours and 43 minutes and with the full ‘Y’ network opening in 2033, the journey will come down to three hours and 38 minutes.

 

Only when the latest set of proposed measures are considered will a three hour journey time be possible.

 

♦ HS2 Ltd announced on Friday that a CH2M / Atkins / SENER team will be the engineering delivery partner for Phase One of the project. The 10 year contract covers the whole of Phase One construction.

 

Areas of focus for the team will include supporting preparation for and procurement of the main civil engineering contracts and subsequent works packages, including stations and railway systems.

 

The team will also manage support of the design and construction stages of the works, provide project engineering and construction management and provide technical assurance of the design.

 

Transportation Professional’s April issue is to include a key reference document covering all aspects of High Speed 2’s construction.

 

(Image: Capita)