HS2 Rail Line Gets Approval. Also, Extra Tunnels For The Mean Machines!

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The British government has given #-Link-Snipped-#2 rail line the green light after making sure that it can turn in a significant rate of financial return and lessen harmful consequences on the local communities and the environment. This rail line is anticipated to enhance capacity and cut down on the journey time 2026 onwards, when phase one gets completed.

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Source: Daily Mail
Justine Greening, transport secretary, stated that this will not only render people with the extra train seats, but will also help in generating employment opportunities for the country. The HS2 is supposed to be a Y-shaped rail network, having stations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and the East Midlands connected by high speed trains accommodating over 26,000 people per hour, and buzzing off at speeds about 250mph. These trains will also connect with the present East Coast and West Coast lines to cater to the passengers outside the HS2 network, like those residing or working in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Durham, York, Darlington, Liverpool, Preston, Wigan and Lancaster. As per the Department for Transport(DfT), the travelling time will be substantially reduced, and time taken to traverse from London to Birmingham will just be about 45 minutes.


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Source: thetransportpolitic.com

Two phases have been chalked out for this project. The first phase will see the the construction of the 140-mile line from London to Birmingham through to its completion by 2026. It will also link Europe through the Channel Tunnel. The second phase includes construction of lines from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester till 2033. The routes shall be finalized till 2014.

The total cost  of the whole Y-shaped network is estimated somewhere around £32bn and is anticipated to yield benefits of £47bn plus fare revenues of £34bn over half a century.

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