HS2 Ltd has been given the green light from the UK
government to instruct its contractors to proceed with construction of the
controversial high-speed railway despite lockdown measures in place to stop the
spread of Covid-19.
The government decided to go ahead with the project to build
a high-speed railway linking London to Manchester and Leeds following an
independent review lead by former HS2 chairman Douglas Oakervee. In his final
report, Oakervee suggested that not proceeding with construction would have a
detrimental effect on the UK economy.
In his address to Parliament in February to give the project
the all-clear, prime minister Boris Johnson said he felt cancelling the new
line would ‘condemn the next generation to overcrowding and standing up’ on
trains.
Opponents of HS2 say its estimated £106 billion price tag –
which is nearly double the budget initially set in 2015 – makes it the ‘wrong and
expensive’ choice for improving transportation links across the country.
Environmental campaigners have long fought against the plan, saying
construction will destroy many of England’s ancient woodlands.
The ‘notice to proceed’ from HS2 Ltd gives construction
firms contracted for the project the ability to begin – or in some cases
continue – work on the line. Work had already started on Phase One, which takes
the rail line from London to Birmingham, but the government has said companies
involved in this phase will need to follow social distancing guidelines on
building sites to protect workers from coronavirus.
Announcing the news, HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson said: “While
the government’s top priority is rightly to combat the spread of coronavirus,
protect the NHS and save lives, we cannot delay work on our long-term plan to
level up the country. HS2 will be the spine of the country’s transport network,
boosting capacity and connectivity while also rebalancing opportunity fairly
across our towns and cities.
“Following the decision earlier this year to proceed with
the project, this next step provides thousands of construction workers and
businesses across the country with certainty at a time when they need it, and
means that work can truly begin on delivering this transformational project.”
The companies involved in work on HS2 include SCS Railways
(Skanska Construction UK Ltd, Costain Ltd and Strabag AG), Align JV (Bouygues
Travaux Publics SAS, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick), EKBF JV
(Eiffage Genie Civil SA, Kier Infrastructure and Overseas Ltd, BAM Nuttall and
Ferrovial Agroman), and BBV JV (Balfour Beatty Group Ltd, Vinci Construction
Grands Projects, Vinci Construction UK and Vinci Construction Terrassement).
Mark Thurston, CEO of HS2 Ltd, commented: “In these
difficult times, today’s announcement represents both an immediate boost to the
construction industry – and the many millions of UK jobs that the industry
supports – and an important investment in Britain’s future: levelling up the
country, improving our transport network and changing the way we travel to help
bring down carbon emissions and improve air quality for the next generation.”
Phase One of the project is currently running up to five
years behind schedule and is not expected to be completed until between 2028
and 2031. Phase Two, which includes branches from Birmingham to Manchester and
Leeds, is due to be finished between 2035 and 2040. It will reduce travel times
from London to Birmingham from one hour 21 minutes to 52 minutes, according to
the Department for Transport.