HS2 Britain will provide more tracks, more trains, more seats and fast trips to improve performance and reliability in Britain’s rail network. “So it says that Hitharto dysfunctional organization has reduced the cash of billions of pounds, it is very low for this.
There may be a more accurate claim: “We have an unlimited pot of taxpayers’ money and we are going to spend it.”
The new Chief Executive Officer, Mark Wild, says that he inherited the situation “unacceptable” and that HS “has failed his mission to control and schedule costs.”
“We should intervene to re -acquire the control of the program and reset it at the lowest possible cost while maintaining security and value for money.”
Since assuming office, Labor has spent about a year that has collected evidence to pin the defect for the dilapidated on the tors; Now it will have to bear the pieces and give at least something.
Heidi Alexander told House Off on Wednesday Folk She is pulling a “a line in the sand” on the unbridled railway project He called a “horrific mess”, and admitted that there is no chance that it will open from the most recent delayed target date of 2033,
These are the major questions and answers.
What is the history of high-speed rail in Britain?
High speed is a fast railway line of 1 to 68 miles London To St. Pancris Channel tunnel In Focestone in Kent, which was opened in 2008. It costs less than £ 7 billion, about £ 100 million per mile.
High Speed ​​2 is a much more ambitious railway project, which originally includes a new high-speed track of 345 miles. The HS2 was designed to remove the pressure on the West Coast and East Coast Main lines, so that intercity passengers could be transported to a dedicated network, reduce travel time and increase capacity.
The existing West Coast Main Line is the busiest intercity route in Europe, which handles a mixture of expressed passenger services, commuter trains and freight. There is no place for expansion, and the system has very little flexibility.
HS2 began as a dream in 2009, collecting all-party support for a project that will unite the nation with a proper 21st-century railway connection London For Midlands and northern England, with a better visit to Scotland. Trains were to start in 2026.
Sixteen years and about 40 billion pounds later, now there is no possibility of any high-speed trains lasting up to another decade-after the billions of billions, the embarrassing stump of a line between London has been spent and Birmingham,
The estimated total cost at £ 33 billion in 2010 for the entire project in 2010 is now expected to reach £ 100 billion for a very low line: at a distance of 140 miles of step 1, including Old Oak Common in London, West London, Old Oak Common, Solyhul. Birmingham Curzon Street. Cost per mile? About £ 700 million.
what went wrong?
The new Chief Executive Officer Mark Wilde says: “Construction begins very soon, without conditions to enable productive distribution, such as stable and consenting design. From the beginning, the cost and schedule were optimistic with insufficient provisions for estimated risk of schedule and schedule.”
After signing the fruitless construction contracts, who leave the taxpayers on the hook for spectacular overseas, a succession of the ministers – in particular, the transport secretaries – have repeatedly wreaked havoc by changing their minds.
The most essential part of the plan – a north -western leg crave and Manchester, And was scattered in an attempt to save money between the northeast legs – costs for Sheffield and Leeds and try to drum votes from motorists.
In a crowded area of ​​contenders for the most arrogant task of barbarity against strict national infrastructure, a figure stands out: sage craze, who finished the link Manchester In a speech … in Manchester. The then Prime Minister of Britain pretended that the rescued amount is called “Network North”, collectively called “Network North” to include projects in Kent and Devon.
Did anyone notice?
Yes. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority, which reports to the cabinet office and HM Treasury, concluded in 2023: “The definition of the project, schedules, budget, quality and/or profit distribution, are the major issues that do not seem manageable or determined at this stage. The project may require scoping and/or its overall feasibility.”
The Transport Department (DFT) now says: “Long-running failure to manage the program effectively, with frequent de-scopping under previous governments, means that the program will not achieve its original mission and has reduced the remaining distribution.”
Through all this, HS2 Limited has demonstrated “insufficient capacity and capacity in major commercial and technical functions” – according to CEO Mark Wild.
An example quoted by the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander: “Between 2019 and 2023, HS2 Limited provided the initial design for Euston Station, which was coming in the budget of about £ 2 billion. When asked for a more affordable option, he offered £ 400 million more than the first attempt. The cheap ‘was not clearly part of HS2 Dexeson.
“Billions of pounds of taxpayers have been ruined by constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and poor management.”
When HS2 opens at the end, how fast the journey will be?
The current claim is that travel from London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street will take 45 minutes, while on the traditional line currently compared to 77 minutes. Initially, however, trains will run from Old Oak Common only in West London. And, Mr. Wilde says, the line can open on “slight running speed”. So let’s call it 50 minutes.
HS2 claims: “Our high-speed trains will continue for Manchester, North West and Scotland using the traditional railway network, cut the time of travel.”
But originally planned to travel from London to a 67 -minute Manchester – almost lowering the time of the current journey – will be too long. With the new line Northwest for Crave and Manchester, the last section of HS2 will be a link on the existing and huge crowded West Coast Main Line from Birmingham North to Handker Junction.
Is there any hope for the northern section?
A low cost from Birmingham to Crave and Manchester, the “quite high speed” link may provide some connectivity. Transport Guru Thomas Elemen says: “HS 2 is aimed at an investment to change the economics of this country. At the moment, Britain is one of the most uneven countries when it comes to productivity: London, incredibly high; North cities, lowest in Europe.
“It is about equalizing and this is the perfect task. Does it mean that it needs to be 200MPH or 225MPH railway? Almost certainly not. Keeping the ability to make that transformational change possible is more important than the accurate specification developed for the original HS2 project.
“Quite clearly, HS2 has become something of a toxic term. A more traditional railway that provides connectivity, provides that capacity may be absolutely unlocked that will otherwise be a very numb political problem.”
Tory demand Rener apologizes to comment from the stammer gangs