What are the impacts of HS2?

HS2 will destroy or irreparably damage five internationally protected wildlife sites, 693 local wildlife sites, 108 ancient woodlands and 33 legally protected sites of special scientific interest, according to the most comprehensive survey of its impact on wildlife.



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HS2 Ltd's destruction of ancient woodland and veteran trees is unacceptable. We'll keep pushing hard to save these precious habitats.

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As the low carbon alternative for long distance travel, HS2 will help the country's fight against climate change. It will take cars and lorries off the roads and reduce the need for domestic flights, making transport, Britain's largest carbon emitter, more environmentally friendly.

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The National Audit Office (NAO) publishes a report on HS2's progress and finance issues. The report finds that the project is facing cost and schedule delivery problems and should be delayed by a year. The NAO also said the HS2 team was looking to reduce costs, with a delay potentially helping them with budget issues.

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The HS2 Action Alliance criticised the Department of Transport's demand forecasts as being too high, as well as having other shortcomings in the assessment methodology. Action Groups Against High Speed Two (AGHAST) claimed in 2011 that the project was not viable economically.

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Our Net Zero Carbon Plan HS2 trains will be powered by zero carbon energy from day one of operation, offering a cleaner alternative to long distance car journeys and domestic flights.

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While HS2 Ltd. has failed to meet the key schedule performance mark, it says it remains on course to complete the work well in the range of 2029 to 2033. But when the line will reach the central London terminal at Euston is still unknown. With costs rising, the government paused work at Euston in March.

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It Won't Help and May Hurt the Economy. Studies have found that high-?speed trains can generate new economic development near the stations where the trains stop. However, the same studies show that economic development slows in communities not served by such trains.

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The HS2 rail project is delayed in part because the British railway sector suffers from dated practices and infrastructure held over from when it was pioneered in the 19th century said John Kelsey (UCL Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction).

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We will cut emissions from the concrete and steel we source by 50% (tCO2e/t) by 2030 compared with 2021 levels. We will use 100% zero carbon electricity generation to power our trains – making journeys on HS2 zero carbon for emissions from 'day one'.

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HS2 will be the UK's zero carbon alternative for long-distance travel. It will reduce the need for car, lorry and plane journeys playing a vital role in delivering the Government's ambitious goal of Britain becoming net zero carbon by 2050.

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High Speed 2 (HS2) is the Government's proposed new ultra-high speed rail line. The Government says it will cost £42.6 billion to build, plus £7.5bn for the trains, in 2011 prices. Phase 1 would not run until 2026 at the earliest, with stations in just Birmingham and London.

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The Economic Case estimated that HS2 would create wider economic benefits worth £13.3 billion over 60 years (see Table 17). The Strategic Case argued that this standard analysis did not capture the full benefits of HS2 as it would have an effect on the distribution of economic activity in the UK.

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