Posted 11th February 2021 | 3 Comments
Birmingham-Crewe section of HS2 set for Royal Assent
THE Hybrid Bill authorising the next section of HS2, part of Phase 2a, is expected to receive Royal Assent today.
The new Act will allow HS2 to be extended from the West Midlands to Crewe. A second Act is due to follow which will take the high speed line on to Manchester.
Midlands Connect director Maria Machancoses said: ‘Today’s historic milestone will be music to the ears of businesses, investors and travellers alike. It’s heartening to see progress being made, Government must now work to ensure this momentum is maintained and that construction is started on the Birmingham to Crewe leg as soon as possible.
‘While Phases One and 2a are moving ahead apace, and have created thousands of highly-skilled jobs, apprenticeships and unprecedented regeneration, it is essential that an decision is made on the scope of Phase 2b of the project, especially the Eastern Leg of the route between Birmingham, the East Midlands, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Leeds.
‘Any further delay will cause uncertainty at a time where business confidence and job security have been shaken by Covid-19. We in the Midlands and North are clear, we need the whole of the HS2 network to be delivered, in full.’
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
Andrew Gwilt, Benfleet Essex
Great news. Even though many people are against HS2 development. But England needs a new high speed railway line. Including the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Northern England that wants HS2 to be built.
Melvyn, Canvey Island , Essex
The HS2 website has confirmed that Bill for Phase 2a has received Royal Assent and thus work can now proceed on extension to Crewe.
This news finally ends talk of HS2 not getting beyond Birmingham and if Crewe is not in the North then you obviously didn’t do geography at school!
It’s also now possible to add cost of this extension to that of Stage 1 to obtain the actual cost of HS2 and not fantasyland figures which includes sections not yet authorised !
The decision to build this simple extension ahead of the complex full Stage 2 will allow delivery years earlier while next stage extension to Manchester eill also be simplified.
Of course breaking stagev2 construction down into various stages has allowed opposition to raise doubts over the eastern leg but in reality HS2 has always been more about creating a WCML2 to overcome speed limits the wibbly wobbly WCML has
david c smith, Bletchley
I've never been keen on the current HS2 proposed routing, but if the London to Birmingham section gets built, then the extension to Crewe would be a positive logical move, to make the scheme a bit more cost- effective.