HS2 (High Speed ​​2) High Speed Rail in Britain

Chronicle

2024: Information on project implementation problems

At the end of August 2024, it became known that the HS2 (High Speed ​ ​ ​​2) project to create a high-speed railway connection in Britain became one of the largest engineering failures in the history of the country. After 15 years of planning and study, as well as against the background of multiple excess of the originally planned budget, there are no results.

The HS2 line is to run between Handsacre in south Staffordshire and London with a branch to Birmingham. The mainline will be the second purpose-built high-speed railway in Britain after HS1, which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. In the case of HS2, London and Birmingham will be served directly by the new high-speed road, and a combination of the line under construction and the existing West Coast Main Line is planned to be used to connect Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester.

𝓲

HS2

According to the resource Interested Engineering, the HS2 project initially faced a lot of problems. In 2020, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson approved the construction of the highway, but by 2024 the estimated costs increased by about four times - to £106 billion ($139.3 billion at the exchange rate as of September 2, 2024). Environmental issues and the damage done to England's landscapes and wildlife have sparked protests across the country. Legal battles followed, adding years and tens of millions of pounds to a budget spiralling out of control.

As a result, the length of the new line was significantly reduced compared to the initial plans. And in October 2023, the Conservative Party conference announced the cancellation of the second phase of HS2. Approximately £36 billion ($47.29 billion) saved by this decision will be spent on the development of road infrastructure and bus services in each region of the country.^[1]

Notes