Who promotes HS2 and why?

High Speed Two Limited (HS2 Ltd) is responsible for developing and promoting the UK's new high-speed rail network. It is funded by grant-in-aid from the Government. HS2 Ltd is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Transport.



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Organisations. Organisations that support the HS2 project include: The three major UK political parties: Conservative, Labour (albeit with some criticism of the proposed route) and the Liberal Democrats. In Labour's 2019 manifesto the party said it would extend the dedicated high-speed track to Scotland.

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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.

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The development of a second high-speed line was proposed in 2009 by the United Kingdom Government to address capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line railway, which is forecast to be at full capacity in 2025.

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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. So, what are the arguments for and against HS2?

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HS2 is Environmentally Damaging. HS2 Ltd expect most passengers to have transferred from conventional speed trains, but trains travelling at the top speed of HS2 use at least twice as much energy as conventional speed trains. As it is, even HS2 Ltd acknowledge that there are lower carbon alternatives.

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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.

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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.

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HS2 will also play a crucial role delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail – the backbone for an integrated northern rail network. Together these better connections will help to level-up the country.

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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.

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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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The main reason HS2 is so slow to build is it is a really stupid idea that should never have been approved. It has always been expensive, which has lead to delays and construction pauses that push up costs further.

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HS2 was originally envisaged to operate more trains an hour and higher speeds than any comparable high-speed line elsewhere in the world. It has been estimated that this pushed up costs by about 10 per cent.

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We are already committed to using zero carbon electricity to power HS2 trains, which will be some of the quietest and fastest in the world. Reliable, long-distance train travel between the North, the Midlands and the South East will be emission-free.

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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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High-speed rail is generally regarded as the pinnacle of attractive and green transportation. But all too often, it makes train travel more expensive and less flexible. In the end, costly high-speed lines may just push more people into cars.

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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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