Who owns HS2?

High Speed 2 (HS2) Ltd is a non-departmental public body, wholly funded by the Secretary of State for Transport and sponsored by the Department for Transport. The HS2 project is one of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK.



People Also Ask

Other groups opposing HS2 include the HS2 Action Alliance, The Wildlife Trusts and the Woodland Trust. The group has a chairperson, a treasurer and a campaign manager, relying on donations to pay them. In 2011, it made a fundraiser to pay its campaign manager Joe Rukin.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

The main gain of HS2 is that it frees up space on the rail network for more freight services. This point has often been missed in discussions about the project. There is no doubt that there would be environmental gains. The passenger gains are less compelling and less urgent.

MORE DETAILS

HS2 does not anticipate being the fastest network once it is up and running. Indeed, Japan has already test-run a new bullet train, powered by electrically charged magnets, which reached an incredible 603km per hour.

MORE DETAILS

A joint bid from Hitachi and Alstom has won the contract for a long-awaited, $2.6 billion order for the fleet of trains to operate on Britain's new HS2 high speed line. The 54 eight-car electric trainsets, designed to routinely operate at 225 mph, are being described as the “fastest trains in Europe.”

MORE DETAILS

High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages.

MORE DETAILS

The HS2 rail line will provide significant extra capacity for passengers and freight within the UK and to continental Europe, along with other significant predicted national and local economic benefits that will come from sharing some of the South East's wealth.

MORE DETAILS

Environmental groups The 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.

MORE DETAILS

FirstGroup to operate West Coast and HS2 franchises with Trenitalia. FirstGroup's 70-30 joint venture with Italian state railway operator Trenitalia was told by the Department for Transport that it intended to award the new West Coast Partnership rail franchise to the companies.

MORE DETAILS

London-Birmingham (phase 1): Down from one hour 21 minutes to 45 minutes – time saving of 36 minutes. London-Manchester: Down from two hours six minutes to one hour 41 minutes with completion of phase 1 – saving of 25 minutes.

MORE DETAILS

It is the largest infrastructure project in Europe and the most important economic and social regeneration project in decades.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS