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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HS2 Ltd, the state-funded body responsible for delivering the line, failed to add enough contingency to its cost estimates after using a calculation method that was inappropriate for the early stage of the programme.
Our Net Zero Carbon PlanHS2 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.
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.
But HS2 is quite controversial. Those who support the project say it will improve transport times, create jobs and help the country's economy. Critics of it though, are worried about how it will impact wildlife, the countryside, their homes and how much it will cost.
Environmental groupsThe Woodland Trust opposes the current route of the proposed High Speed 2 rail link because of its impact on ancient woodland. It reports that 108 ancient woods are threatened with loss or damage from the project.
Political partiesThe UK Independence Party (UKIP) is opposed nationally and locally to the proposed HS2 plans. UKIP has been campaigning against HS2 as it is also part of the EU's Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Policy.
For us, that means becoming net zero from 2035. For you, it means enjoying zero carbon high-speed travel. 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.
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.
Most of the HS2 route in London will run through newly constructed tunnels. Beginning underground at Euston, the route goes to Old Oak Common, before emerging just south of the Ruislip Golf Course in West Ruislip, and then continuing on the surface.
The entirety of the HS2 rail link between London and Birmingham is to be scrapped and replaced with a train of Dacia Sanderos welded together, the government has announced.
How much will tickets cost? There is likely to be a premium of between 20 and 33 per cent for using the fast service. That would in theory push the cost of a London-Manchester Anytime ticket from £180 to £240 at 2020 prices, which works out at 6p per second.
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.
HS2 will be delayed by another two years and major roadbuilding schemes will be mothballed, ministers have confirmed, after soaring inflation added billions to the cost of transport infrastructure projects.