High Speed Rail – The HS2 Project
Sarah Hunter
Head of Operations, High Speed Two Ltd
High Speed Rail
•
•
•
•
Why high speed rail?
Key issues in developing HSR
Our recommendation
Challenges going forward
Japan 1964
HSR – what is it for ?
We have 150kph average speeds
Upgrading is hard work
600km
300km
Door to door journey time
Distance
(Km)
600
450
300
150
Plane
0
0
1
2
3
Time (Hours)
4
Door to door journey time
Distance
(Km)
600
450
300
Car
150
Plane
0
0
1
2
3
Time (Hours)
4
Door to door journey time
Distance
(Km)
600
450
Classic Rail
300
Car
150
Plane
0
0
1
2
3
Time (Hours)
4
Door to door journey time
Distance
(Km)
600
450
Classic Rail
300
Car
150
Plane
0
0
1
2
3
Time (Hours)
4
Door to door journey time
Distance
(Km)
600
450
High Speed Rail
Classic Rail
300
Car
150
Plane
0
0
1
2
3
Time (Hours)
4
HSR vs. Car
• W Midlands to Manchester
(or NW to Birmingham)
• Rail journey time must
better 3/4 hour
• We need 250kph+
HSR vs. Car
• W Midlands to Manchester
(or NW to Birmingham)
• Rail journey time must
better 3/4 hour
• We need 250kph+
…. or we build motorways
Why High Speed Rail…?
“There is more to life
than increasing its speed”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Balancing Capacity
Capacity
Speed
Reliability
Different types of trains
(speed / performance)
Mixing traffic speeds
North W Midlands
HS at 330kph = 29 mins
One train at 210 km/h =
5 train paths at 330 km/h
Train at 210kph = 45 mins
NW London
High capacity
• Aeroplane:
– c150 seats
• Coach:
– c50 seats
• Classic train
– c500 seats
• HS train:
– c550 x 2 =
– 1100 seats
Stations for high passenger flows
City centre AND parkway stations
A
B
Future network
?
Future network
• All lines lead to London?
Future network
• But if you are in the West
Midlands…
Future network
• Or bringing our Northern
cities together?
HS2 Study
• London – West Midlands
and then a future network
– Demand modelling
– Operational and technical
specification
– The optimum route
– Strategic environmental
assessment
– Costs
– Full business case
– Funding and risk assessment
• In 11 months
Some challenges
The Proposal
Capacity
• New line, ultimately up to 18 tph
• 400m-long trains
Speed and Connectivity
• Designing for up to 400 kph;
open at up to 360 kph
• Central London - central
Birmingham in 49mins
• Central London - central
Manchester 1h 40mins
• Good case for extension beyond
London Euston
London Euston
Tunnel out
West London Crossrail
Interchange
Our recommended route
Birmingham Airport Interchange
Delta Junction
• High speed
junction to city
centre and WCML
• Weave through
motorway system
• Retain through
speed of 400 km/h
Central Birmingham
Central Birmingham
Benefits of HS2
• Additional capacity
• Up to 30 minutes faster
journey
• Boost economy across the
regions
• Releases capacity for
regional services and freight
• Shift from road and air to rail
• Development opportunities
around stations
• £2 benefit : £1 of cost
Issues for HS2 – a diverse
story
Impact
Mitigation of impacts
•
•
•
•
Route alignment and optimisation
Tunnelling in Inner London and the Chilterns
Earthworks and planting so line fits landscape
Technological advances in train design, noise
barriers and earthworks would abate noise
• Code of Construction Practice to manage
temporary impacts
Our new remit and current work
Heathrow options
“Y vs. S”
HS1 / HS2 connections
Continue / consult
HS2 Initial Network
• London to
–
–
–
–
Birmingham
Manchester
East Midlands
Leeds
– Newcastle
– Scotland
1-24
2-08
1-40
2-15
to
to
to
to
0-49
1-15
0-55
1-20
3-00 to 2-35
4-20 to 3-30
• Birmingham to
– Manchester
– Leeds
1-34 to 0-40
2-00 to 1-05
Challenges going forward
• Minimising the negative effects
• Balancing national interest against local impacts
• Delivering a fair and effective process for
consultation and decision making
• Engineering challenges
• Delivery timescales
• Efficiency and reducing costs
• Funding and private sector involvement
High Speed Rail – The HS2 Project
Sarah Hunter
Head of Operations, High Speed Two Ltd