Posted 23rd July 2010 | 11 Comments
Government to consider revised High Speed plan
This is the interior of a proposed High Speed train -- Mercury -- developed by British designer Paul Priestman
UPDATED proposals for a new 400km/h High Speed line from London to Birmingham—and how to extend it to Manchester and Leeds—will be presented to the new coalition government at the end of August. Meanwhile, a major public consultation on the revised plans will begin early in the New Year, Railnews has learned.
The new report, which follows original plans published in March for a High Speed network, will focus on four key issues since creation of a coalition government in May.
Public opposition
After the original plans were announced, there was growing, extensive public opposition to the route through the Chilterns—an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty—and South Warwickshire, including protests from farmers concerned they are not included in a proposed Exceptional Hardship Scheme for properties ‘blighted’ by the proposals. One group in Buckinghamshire and neighbouring counties, the Chiltern Society, has set up a formal ‘fighting fund’.
Debate over Heathrow link goes on
The original HS2 proposal did not include a route via Heathrow, although this had been proposed before the general election by the Conservatives—who also proposed to halt the development of a third runway at London’s hub airport, which was confirmed after the election.
Earlier, Labour transport secretary Lord Adonis had asked a former Tory transport secretary, Lord Mawhinney, to review whether HS2 should serve Heathrow. After the election the new Conservative transport secretary, Phillip Hammond, asked Lord Mawhinney to continue with this study. Mr Hammond also asked HS2 Ltd to look again at the case for serving Heathrow.
Routing rethink
HS2 Ltd proposed that the first stage of the new network should go from London to a new interchange station near the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham International Airport. From there a spur line would take trains into a new station in Birmingham city centre’s Eastside, while the main line would continue to join the existing West Coast Main Line at Lichfield.
HS2 Ltd also proposed, as a second stage, that HS2 should diverge beyond Birmingham International into two branches, one to Manchester and the other via the East Midlands to Leeds. This is the so-called ‘Y’ network.
However, Conservative plans for a High Speed line were predicated on a route from London, including Heathrow, to Manchester, then on to Leeds—the so called ‘reverse S’ alignment.
The new government has now asked HS2 Ltd to make further comparative assessments of the ‘Y’ and ‘reverse S’ options. Phillip Hammond has also asked HS2 Ltd to look again at the case for linking HS2 to HS1 so that High Speed trains from the North and Midlands can go via the Channel Tunnel to Continental destinations.
As a result, HS2 Ltd is now also reviewing opportunities for additional domestic services, such as between Birmingham and Ashford, Kent.
Timing. The Labour government envisaged work on HS2 starting in 2017, as Crossrail was completed and spending of around £2 billion a year could be diverted to starting the High Speed network, and construction resources could be rolled over from Crossrail to building the new line—which might be completed to Birmingham by 2025.
However, the Conservatives had always envisaged preparatory work beginning in 2015. There is also concern that every future demand estimate suggests the southern section of the present West Coast Main Line will reach capacity, around 2020, well before a High Speed line would be constructed.
Support for link with HS1
Lord Mawhinney has now concluded his review, and said: “It makes sense if possible to create a seamless link between HS1 and HS2, and I believe such a decision would be popular.”
But he also said that during the early stages of a High Speed rail network “there is no compelling case for a direct high speed rail link to Heathrow,” adding that “a London-Old Oak Common interchange could provide an appropriate, good quality terminus and connection point to the airport.”
Lord Mawhinney said changing the route of the main High Speed line to run via Heathrow would cost an additional £2 - £4 billion “which was not likely to represent value for money to the taxpayer or the train operator”.
More significantly, Lord Mawhinney also recommended that the ‘initial’ London terminal for HS2 should be at the proposed Old Oak Common interchange with the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail. This, he said, would ensure “effective use be made of the £16 billion Crossrail project and other rail and tube connections to provide access to passengers’ final destinations, including Heathrow.”
If this recommendation is adopted—avoiding, or leaving until a later date, the original proposals and costs of constructing tunnels from Old Oak Common to an greatly expanded Euston station—and preparatory work on HS2 began in 2015, it may be possible for the first stage of the new line to be completed to the West Midlands by 2020, five years earlier than originally envisaged.
Stephen McFarlane—a former Department for Transport civil servant, now working as HS2 Ltd’s West Midlands Business Case Manager—told a conference in Birmingham on 22 July that the plan is to begin a major public consultation exercise early next year on the proposed route, and for a Hybrid Bill to be laid before Parliament so that enabling works to could begin in 2015.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
David Baxter, Lancaster, UK
Surely any "new" track should try and follow old track beds whereever possible (that were closed under Beeching in the 1960s) rather than rip up thousands of square miles of countryside.
Peter Egan, Artarmon (Sydney), Australia
There are about 300,000 ground travel movements a day at Heathrow. This includes workers, passengers, meeters and greeters. Workers and meeters and greeters are counted twice because they arrive and leave the same day.
Rail Ground travel movements a day to Heathrow are around 60,000. 240,000 movements are by road. The road system is often at capacity, but the rail system is under utilized due to a paucity of destinations directly served by rail - only Piccadilly Line, Heathrow Express and Connect. Airtrack will be a south bank Connect. Due to the fact terminal stations are used at Heathrow T4 and T5, the capacity of the rail system is limited. Piccadilly Line will only experience slow growth in line with passenger growth.
Heathrow needs direct rail connections to the Slough and points West, the South West, Windsor, Birmingham and points north, and the south and north banks of the Thames.
A Chord should be added the Heathrow Express/Connect Line at the junction with the main Western Line for direct access to the West.
A double track loop linking Heathrow Central, T4, Staines. T5 and back to Heathrow Central. Triangle junctions at Bedfont Rd Feltham, Staines Station, at the M25 on the Windsor Line and Heathrow Central - at Heathrow Central the triangle will be inside out.
High Speed Rail from the North should enter T5 at existing platforms, go to new platforms parallel to the Piccadilly Line platforms at heathrow Central, to new North-South platforms at T4 then link with the Airtrack corridor at Bedfont Rd Feltham. Then along the Airtrack corridor to Waterloo with underpasses at the level crossings. Then a 5km tunnel from south of Waterloo to north of St Pancras with stops at Waterloo, Farringdon and St Pancras.
The triangle junctions, high-speed line, the Chord and the Piccadilly Line make it possible depart Heathrow in 6 directions by rail. The aim should be for rail to pick up all growth in Heathrow ground travel movements.
Phil, Sheffield, UK
London, Birmingham, Manchester, then Sheffield via Woodhead and onto Leeds.
That would hit Airport Links, Industrial North, and open up the Woodhead line as well as hit finacial city of Leeds.
andy ganley, sutton, england
Why keep banging on about HS2? its not needed,who in their right minds wants to get to Birmingham any quicker,and how about getting the 'normal'
railway right first,for example the atrocous First Capital Connect in Sth London
(worst TOC ever)+ the gear grinding waits in stations for no reason(up to 4 mins
in my experiance) happens all over the network,the ticket machines you need
a computer degree to operate,and on and on.
Chris Reynell, Longstock, Hampshire.
Why not follow existing transport corridors wherever possible?
Motorways and busy roads already cause blight (noise, fumes and light pollution) to the surrounding area overshadowing any environmental impact from HS2. The service areas make good park and ride facilities along the route.
Will we ever build high speed rail or just do political ping pong and endless feasibility studies, to keep us in our cars?
Paul Martin, York, UK
Us folk 'oop north' will keep enjoying rides on pacers then?
Hugh Collins, Clapton, United Kingdom
The problem with a London Terminus for any high-speed scheme is that it's High Speed only to that point. It takes about 50 minutes to travel from say Croydon to Euston, as long as it will take to go from Euston to Birmingham on HS2.
So the key is to have the London terminus of HS2 connected to the best possible set of London lines, to minimise journey times for all of London. From that point of view OldOak Common is a good choice, with fast links East and West on Crossrail (including Heathrow), and North and South on the West London Line. With the savings on tunnellling under London, I wouldn't be surprised if Old Oak Common remained the terminus for a very long time!
Hugh Collins, Clapton, United Kingdom
The problem with a London Terminus for any high-speed scheme is that it's High Speed only to that point. It takes about 50 minutes to travel from say Croydon to Euston, as long as it will take to go from Euston to Birmingham on HS2.
So the key is to have the London terminus of HS2 connected to the best possible set of London lines, to minimise journey times for all of London. From that point of view OldOak Common is a good choice, with fast links East and West on Crossrail (including Heathrow), and North and South on the West London Line. With the savings on tunnellling under London, I wouldn't be surprised if Old Oak Common remained the terminus for a very long time!
David Haggas, Skipton, UK
Common sense is starting to emerge out of this review of reviews. It makes far more sense to link HS1 and HS2 than it does do include a stop at Heathrow. A change of trains and trudge on a travellator for 'provincial' passengers destined for the continent was a very second rate solution. The idea that by linking Heathrow with HS2 so that it could grab additional traffic from thriving airports outside the south east was similarly ill thought out. The airport is plainly in the wrong place geographically and lacking the ultimate capacity to make this work. Crossrail, Airtrack and existing links will be perfectly good for Heathrow's core catchment area. The Bow report which originally suggested routing HS2 through the airport was plainly a sop to BAA, BA and the aviation lobby which is over-centred on London.
David Spencer, Bolton, Lancashire, UK
Progress generally now seems to be being made and momentum is building. The idea of Old Oak Common as the terminal is a good one and getting construction started as soon as possible will maintain enthusiasm in the UK as a whole. However if HS2 is to capture previous regional air traffic passengers, a station at Heathrow is preferable. When arriving from an international flight the last thing passengers want is a change of train at Old Oak Common.
A Heathrow hub will solve a few other issues as well such as Airtrack and will bring together several multimodal transport systems to the benefit of the local community and air passengers alike.
Mr Hammond is correct to further examine Heathrow and the decisions he will have to make on this issue will not be easy.
A direct connection to HS1 is imperative and a no brainer. However I would encourage the service planners to also consider a local service between UK and France such as Heathrow and Lille.
I wish Mr Hammond well in making the right decision.
Robert Jones, Aylesbury, UK
I'm very disappointed that, as yet, none of the reviews of the HS2 route have raised the case for intermediate stops between Old Oak Common and Birmingham International.
There is surely a business case for running "domestic" services with stations every 20 to 30 miles? This will also placate many of those opposed to the scheme along its route - me included.