High Speed 2

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. The new line will run from its most southerly terminus, London, to its most northerly point, Manchester, with branches to Birmingham and the East Midlands. HS2 will be Britain's second purpose-built high-speed line, the first being High Speed 1, which connects London to the Channel Tunnel.

At its southern end, the line will terminate at London's Euston station while other termini will be Birmingham Curzon Street station and Manchester Piccadilly station. In addition to these stations, the dedicated track will serve Old Oak Common in west London, Birmingham Interchange, East Midlands Parkway south of Nottingham, Crewe, and Manchester Airport. There will be several junctions for trains to progress onto the existing West Coast Main Line and Midland Main Line to reach towns and cities in Scotland, North West and North East England, and the West and East Midlands, which are not served by the new high-speed track. The trains, capable of operating at the line's design speed of , will run at a maximum speed of and will operate on both HS2 track and existing conventional track, being able to reach locations off the HS2 line using a mixture of HS2 and conventional network services. Future orders could include "captive" trains, to be used solely on the high-speed spine.

The project is to be accomplished in three phases. Phase 1, which is under construction, is from London to a junction with the West Coast Main Line near Lichfield with a branch to Birmingham. Construction on the line began in 2020 with tunnelling beginning under the Chiltern hills on the edge of northwest London in 2021. Phase 2a, from Lichfield to a second junction with the West Coast Main Line at Crewe, has achieved royal assent but full construction has not yet commenced. Phase 2b is from Crewe to Manchester, with a link to the West Coast Main Line at Crewe for trains to continue to Scotland, and from the West Midlands to East Midlands Parkway where HS2 joins the conventional rail Midland Main Line. Phase 2b is awaiting parliamentary approval.

The original design for HS2 was a "Y" network, with two legs forking at Birmingham. The fork to the west was to proceed to the North West of England at Golborne south of Wigan, where it would connect onto the West Coast Main Line to Scotland, with a branch to Manchester. The fork to the east was to proceed to the northeast of England, at York, where it would connect to the East Coast Main Line to Newcastle, with a branch to Leeds. There was to be a link in London across Camden, linking HS2 and HS1 and giving access to the continent from all major cities. There was also to be a link from Uxbridge to Heathrow.

The proposed network has been cut substantially since it was announced in 2013. Links to HS1 and Heathrow were dropped at an early stage. From November 2021 to June 2022, substantial parts of HS2 were dropped. As part of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands, it was announced that most of the eastern leg of phase 2b from Birmingham via the East Midlands to Leeds/York would be dropped. The branch from Coleshill near Birmingham towards Nottingham remains, with the route diverted to the existing East Midlands Parkway station, where trains can continue north onto the conventional rail Midland Main Line. The link from Golborne onto the West Coast Main Line was dropped.

The project has both supporters and opponents. Supporters of the project believe that the additional capacity and reliability provided by HS2 will accommodate passenger numbers rising to pre-COVID levels while driving a further modal shift to rail. Opponents believe that the project is neither environmentally nor financially sustainable. In 2019, in response to criticism, the government ordered a review of the project—chaired by the project's former chairman, Douglas Oakervee, which recommended that the entire project proceed as planned. However, the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands, released in November 2021, cut back the project, as well as the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project it is integrated with. In 2010, the construction costs of HS2 were estimated to be between £30.9billion and £36billion; in 2015, this estimate was combined with the cost of rolling stock, and adjusted for inflation, to result in a budget of £56.6billion. Oakervee's 2019 review estimated the project would cost up to £87billion at 2019 prices for the originally envisioned "Y" network.

History

In 2003, High-speed rail arrived in the United Kingdom with the opening of the first part of High Speed 1, then known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between London and the Channel Tunnel. In 2009, the Department for Transport (DfT) under the Labour government proposed to assess the case for a second high-speed line, which was to be developed by a new company, High Speed Two Limited (HS2 Ltd).

In December 2010, following a review by the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition, a route was proposed, subject to public consultation, based on a Y-shaped route from London to Birmingham with branches to Leeds and Manchester, as originally put forward by the previous Labour government, with alterations designed to minimise the visual, noise, and other environmental impacts of the line.

In January 2012, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that HS2 would go ahead in two phases and the legislative process would be achieved through two hybrid bills.Transport Select Committee HS2 Report – House of Commons, November 2011
. Retrieved 1 July 2012 The High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act 2017, authorising the construction of Phase 1, passed both Houses of Parliament and received Royal Assent in February 2017. A Phase 2a High Speed Rail (West Midlands–Crewe) bill, seeking the power to construct Phase 2 as far as Crewe and to make decisions on the remainder of the Phase 2b route, was introduced in July 2017. Phase 2a received royal assent in February 2021.

One of the stated aims of the project is to increase the capacity of the railway network. It is envisaged that the introduction of HS2 will free up space on existing railway lines by removing a number of express services, thus allowing additional local train services to run and enabling the network to handle increased passenger numbers. Network Rail considers that constructing a new high-speed railway will be more cost-effective and less disruptive than upgrading the existing conventional rail network. The DfT has forecast that improved connectivity will have a positive economic impact, and that favourable journey times and ample capacity will generate a modal shift from air and road to rail.

Oakervee Review

On 21 August 2019, the DfT ordered an independent review of the project. The review was chaired by Douglas Oakervee, a British civil engineer, who was a HS2 non-executive chairman for nearly two years. The review was published by the DfT on 11 February 2020, alongside a statement from the Prime Minister confirming that HS2 would go ahead in full, with reservations. Oakervee's conclusions were that the original rationale for High Speed 2—to provide capacity and reliability on the rail network—was still valid, and that no "shovel-ready" interventions existed that could be deployed within the timeframe of the project. As a consequence, Oakervee recommended that the project go ahead as planned, subject to a series of further recommendations. After concluding that the project should proceed, the review recommended a further review of HS2 that would be undertaken by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and would concentrate on reducing costs and over-specification. Measures such as reducing the speed of trains and their frequency, and general cost-cutting predominately affecting Phase 2b, would be assessed. On 15 April 2020, formal approval was given to construction companies to start work on the project.

Integrated Rail Plan

On 18 November 2021, the government's delayed Integrated Rail Plan was published. The plan significantly affected parts of the HS2 programme, including curtailing much of the eastern leg.

Under the original proposal for the eastern leg, the high-speed line would have been built with a link to the East Coast Mainline south of York for trains to continue to Newcastle. A branch would take trains into Leeds. There would also have been a branch to the Midland Main Line north of Derby for trains to continue to Sheffield. The original scheme also included a through station at Toton, between Nottingham and Derby. The HS2 eastern section was largely eliminated, leaving a branch from Colshill near Birmingham to East Midlands Parkway station, just south of Nottingham and Derby, where the HS2 track would end, with trains continuing north onto the Midland Main Line to serve the existing stations at Nottingham, Derby, Chesterfield, and Sheffield. HS2 trains would serve the centres of Nottingham and Derby, unlike in the previous proposal.

Upgrades to the East Coast Main Line have been proposed to offer time improvements on the London to Leeds and Newcastle routes. Services from Birmingham to Leeds and Newcastle are still planned to use the remaining section of the HS2 eastern leg. The London to Sheffield service will remain on the Midland Main Line, to equal the proposed original HS2 journey times. The integrated Rail Plan proposed a study to determine the best way for HS2 trains to reach Leeds.

The plan removes the previously proposed London-to-Runcorn service from HS2, with Warrington added to the route. HS2 Liverpool-bound trains from London would reach Warrington via HS2 and NPR track, then onwards to Liverpool on an upgraded freight line. The journey time would shave two minutes off the Liverpool-to-London service.

In June 2022, the Golborne spur was removed from the Crewe-to-Manchester Parliamentary Bill. Without this link, trains to Scotland would join the existing West Coast Main Line further south at Crewe, instead of south of Wigan. The Department of Transport stated that the government was considering the recommendations of the Union Connectivity Review, which gave alternatives such as a more northerly HS2 connection to the West Coast Main Line than Golborne and upgrades to the West Coast Main Line from Crewe to Preston. The Department of Transport will publish its response subject to the funding allocated in the integrated Rail Plan.

Route

Branches and junctions

The branches off the main high-speed HS2 railway line and shared HS2/NPR line are at:
# Coleshill, east of Birmingham, west to Birmingham Curzon Street;
# Coleshill, east of Birmingham, east to East Midlands Parkway, where HS2 track branches into the Midland Main Line;
# Lichfield to the West Coast Main Line, this branch to be used for all trains heading north of Lichfield after phase 1, after 2a to be only for trains calling at Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, and Macclesfield;
# directly north of Crewe to the West Coast Main Line, this branch to be used for HS2 trains heading north from the Crewe Hub, and also into the hub from the north;
# directly south of Crewe to the West Coast Main Line, this branch to be used for HS2 trains heading south from the Crewe Hub, and also into the hub from the south;
# Millington, at junction with shared HS2 track, east to Manchester;
# Millington, at junction with shared NPR track, west to Warrington.

There are two major four-way high-speed junctions on the line, at Coleshill east of Birmingham and at Millington between Warrington and Manchester. Both junctions route trains north, south, east, and west. The junction at Crewe, the Crewe Hub, is primarily a conventional rail junction with a station capable of serving high-speed. There will be access points from high-speed HS2 track north and south of the junction. High-speed trains can bypass the junction using high-speed track though a north-south aligned tunnel bored under the station and junction.

Phase 1: London to Birmingham

Phase 1 will create a new high-speed line between London and Birmingham to be completed by approximately 2031. A high-speed link will also be provided to the existing conventional rail West Coast Main Line just north of Lichfield in Staffordshire, providing services to the North West of England and Scotland. The line is flanked by the West Coast Main Line and the Chiltern Line.

Four stations will be included on the route: the London and Birmingham city centre terminals will be London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street, with interchanges at Old Oak Common and Birmingham Interchange, respectively. The Phase-1 line is long and the journey will take 49 minutes.

The route to the north begins at Euston station in London, entering a twin-bore tunnel near the Mornington Street Bridge at the station's throat. After continuing through to the Old Oak Common underground station, trains proceed through a second, tunnel, emerging to the surface at its northwestern portal. The line crosses the Colne Valley Regional Park on the Colne Valley Viaduct and then enters a tunnel under the Chiltern Hills, to emerge near South Heath, northwest of Amersham. It will run roughly parallel to the A413 road and the London to Aylesbury Line, to the west of Wendover. This is a green cut-and-cover tunnel under farmland, with soil spread over the final construction in order to reduce the visual impact of the line, reduce noise, and allow use of the land above the tunnels for agriculture. After passing west of Aylesbury, the route will run along the corridor of the former Great Central Main Line, joining the alignment north of Quainton Road to travel through rural Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire up to Mixbury, south of Brackley, from where it will cross the A43 and open countryside through South Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, passing immediately south of Southam. After progressing through a tunnel bored under Long Itchington Wood, the route will pass through rural areas between Kenilworth and Coventry, crossing the A46 to enter the West Midlands.

Birmingham Interchange Station will be on the outskirts of Solihull, close to the strategic road network, including the M42, M6, M6 toll, and A45, all crossed on viaducts, and to Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. North of the station a complex triangular junction, with six tracks at one section, west of Coleshill, will link the HS2 Birmingham city centre spur with the line continuing north, from which phase 2a proceeds and phase 2b will be developed. The northern limit for Phase 1 will be a connection onto the West Coast Main Line near Lichfield. This part of the line would be operative with compatible high-speed trains moving onto the conventionally tracked West Coast Main Line while the western leg of Phase 2 is under construction. The Birmingham city centre spur will be routed along the Water Orton rail corridor, the Birmingham to Derby line through Castle Bromwich, and through a tunnel past Bromford.

The section from Lichfield to Crewe is a part of Phase 2a that is to be built simultaneously with Phase 1, effectively merging Phase 2a with Phase 1. The proposed Crewe Hub, incorporating a station catering for high-speed trains, will be built as part of Phase 2a.

Phase 2: Birmingham to Manchester and East Midlands Parkway

Phase 2, is the section from Birmingham to Manchester, and the branch from Birmingham to East Midlands Parkway. Phase 2 is split into three sub-phases:
* Phase 2a, West Midlands to Crewe;
* Phase 2b west, Crewe to Manchester;
* Phase 2b east, a branch from the West Midlands to East Midlands Parkway.

Phase 2a: West Midlands to Crewe

This phase extends the line northwest to the Crewe Hub from the northern extremity of Phase 1, north of Lichfield. At Lichfield, HS2 also connects to the West Coast Main Line. Opening a year after Phase 1, most of the construction of phase 2a will be in parallel with Phase 1. Phase 2a was approved by the House of Commons in July 2019,
and received Royal Assent on 11 February 2021.

The Crewe Hub is an important addition to the HS2 network, giving additional connectivity to existing lines radiating from the Crewe junction. The components are:
* An upgraded station at Crewe, to cope with high-speed trains.
* A tunnel under the station to allow HS2 trains to bypass the station while remaining on high-speed tracks.
* Branches onto the West Coast Main Line immediately to the south and north of the station, to allow HS2 trains to enter the station.

Phase 2b: Crewe to Manchester, western section

HS2 track continues north from Crewe. As the line passes through Cheshire at Millington, it branches to Manchester, using a triangular junction. At this junction, the line will also branch to Warrington on NPR track. The Manchester branch veers east, proceeding through a station at Manchester airport, with the line then entering a tunnel under the suburbs of south Manchester. It is proposed that the tunnel will be served by four large ventilation shafts, to be built along the route. Trains will emerge from the tunnel at Ardwick, where the line will continue to its terminus at . Manchester Piccadilly High Speed station will accommodate HS2 and NPR high-speed trains.

Phase 2b: West Midlands to Midland Main Line branch, eastern section

East of Birmingham, the Phase-1 line branches at the Coleshill junction, progresses approximately northeast, roughly parallel to the M42 motorway, and ends at East Midlands Parkway near Nottingham. The line branches onto the Midland Main Line with trains only progressing north from the branch.

Possible future phases

There is one DfT proposal to build a high-speed line from Leeds south to Clayton branching into the Midland Main Line. Whether this will be part of HS2 or NPR has not been determined.

Liverpool

The Liverpool City Region was excluded from having direct HS2 track access. The nearest proposed HS2 track will be from the city centre and to the nearest regional boundary.

In February 2016, the Liverpool City Council offered £2billion towards funding a direct HS2 line into the city centre. Steve Rotheram, the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, announced the creation of a Station Commission to determine the size, type, and location of a new "transport hub" in Liverpool's city centre, a station that would link the HS2 mainline with the local transport infrastructure. The station would serve HS2 and NPR trains. The North's Strategic Transport Plan recognised the need for a new station to accommodate HS2 and NPR trains.

In the HS2 plan, after phase 2a opens, Liverpool trains would use the HS2 track from London as far as Crewe, where they would use the existing conventional rail track on the West Coast Main Line to proceed to Liverpool Lime Street, with a stop at Runcorn.

The Integrated Rail Plan proposes to connect Liverpool to HS2 on a reused and upgraded Fiddlers Ferry freight line, from Ditton junction in Halebank to a new station at Warrington Bank Quay Low-Level, which will be shared with Northern Powerhouse Rail trains, then onto high-speed track from Warrington to London. Transport for the North's preferred option was a new high-speed line from Liverpool to the HS2 track into Manchester from Millington junction, with a stop at Warrington, which would also double as a connection from Liverpool to HS2 via Millington. The revised plans under the Integrated Rail Plan has a high-speed line only east of Warrington, with HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail trains reaching Liverpool Lime Street from Warrington on upgraded conventional rail track. Metro mayor Steve Rotheram, along with Greater Manchester's mayor Andy Burnham, was scathingly critical of the Integrated Rail Plan.

Scotland

In June 2011, business and governmental organisations—including Network Rail, CBI Scotland, and Transport Scotland (the transport agency of the Scottish Government)—formed the Scottish Partnership Group for high-speed rail to campaign for the extension of the HS2 project north to Edinburgh and Glasgow. In December 2011, it published a study that outlined a case for extending high-speed rail to Scotland, proposing a route north from Manchester to Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as an extension to Newcastle.

In 2009, the then transport secretary Lord Adonis outlined a policy for high-speed rail in the UK as an alternative to domestic air travel, with particular emphasis on travel between the major cities of Scotland and England, "I see this as the union railway, uniting England and Scotland, north and south, richer and poorer parts of our country, sharing wealth and opportunity, pioneering a fundamentally better Britain".

In November 2012, the Scottish Government announced plans to build a high-speed rail link between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The proposed link would have reduced journey times between the two cities to under 30 minutes and was planned to open by 2024, eventually connecting to the high-speed network being developed in England. The plan was cancelled in 2016. In May 2015, HS2 Ltd had concluded that there was "no business case" to extend HS2 north into Scotland, and that high-speed rail services should run north on upgraded conventional track.

Bristol and Cardiff

The Department for Transport conducted a study on towns and cities that would lose economically from HS2, highlighting Bristol and Cardiff. With decreased journey times between London and Northern England under HS2, Cardiff in particular would be set to lose much of its competitive edge that arose from its proximity to London's financial and legal service companies, due to improved rail connections between London and Northern England.

Consequently, there are proposals to build a high-speed line between Birmingham to Cardiff or Bristol, creating an X-shaped high-speed network, with Birmingham at its centre. There have also been proposals for a new high-speed rail project in South Wales, beyond just Cardiff, to connect with the HS2 network.

HS1-HS2 link

The earliest proposals for HS2 suggested that a link be built from HS2 to HS1, to allow direct trains to continental Europe, although this has been removed on grounds of cost and insufficient capacity for such trains on HS2 track. Various proposals have been made to allow trains to connect from HS2 to HS1, including HS4Air. Without this link passengers connecting between these lines will have to travel the short distance between Euston and St Pancras stations. Proposals have also been made to make this journey more convenient.

Connection to other lines

Existing main lines

A key feature of the HS2 proposals is that the new high-speed track will be connected to existing conventional track, adding to, not displacing, the current network. Purpose-built conventional trains will be capable of operating on the high-speed track at full line speeds, then seamlessly run onto conventional tracks at speeds of as much as . This will enable high-speed trains to reach destinations served only by slower high-speed tracks—such as Liverpool, Glasgow, and Edinburgh—using a mixture of conventional and high-speed track.

The proposed connections from the new high-speed tracks onto existing conventional tracks will be at junctions on the network at the following locations:

West Coast Main Line
* north of ;
* south of .
* east of , northeast of Lichfield.
Midland Main Line
* at East Midlands Parkway station in Nottinghamshire.
Northern Powerhouse Rail
* at Millington junction.
The route from London to the West Midlands will be the first stage of a line to Scotland, with passengers travelling to or from Scotland on through trains using a mixture of new high-speed and existing conventional tracks, with a saving of 45 minutes from the opening of Phase 1.

Planned stations

London and Birmingham (Phase 1)

Central London

High Speed 2 shares a southern terminus with the West Coast Main Line at London Euston. Peak-hour capacity at the HS2 London terminal at Euston is predicted to more than triple when the network is fully operational, increasing from 11,300 to 34,900 passengers each way. Upon completion, Euston will have 24 National Rail platforms, not including those on the London Underground's Northern and Victoria lines.

As part of the HS2 project, Euston will be remodelled to integrate with the current conventional rail station, and improved connections will be provided to the Euston Square tube station, which serves the Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines. Euston will also be better connected with HS1's terminus at St Pancras, including a proposed station on Crossrail 2 under the British Library. With St Pancras's own links with King's Cross station, a "mega-station"—along the Euston Road from Euston Square in the west to King's Cross St Pancras in the east—will be the result.

West London

DfT's command paper of March 2010 proposed that all trains would stop at a "crossrail interchange" near Old Oak Common, between Paddington and , with connections for Crossrail, Heathrow Express, and the Great Western Main Line to Heathrow Airport, Reading, South West England, and South Wales. Old Oak Common railway station will also be connected, via out of station interchange, with London Overground stations at Old Oak Common Lane on the North London line and Hythe Road on the West London line.

In May 2020, the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) approved planning permission for the UK's largest new-build railway station at Old Oak Common. The construction contract was awarded to Balfour Beatty, Vinci and Systra (BBVS). The -long station box will have fourteen platforms.

Birmingham airport

Birmingham Interchange will be a through station situated in suburban Solihull, within a triangle of land enclosed by the M42, A45, and A452 highways. A people mover with a capacity of over 2,100 passengers per hour in each direction will connect the station to the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham Airport, and the existing Birmingham International railway station. The AirRail Link people-mover already operates between Birmingham International station and the airport. In addition, there is a proposal to extend the West Midlands Metro to serve the station.

In 2010, Birmingham Airport's chief executive, Paul Kehoe, stated that HS2 is a key element in increasing the number of flights using the airport, with added patronage by inhabitants of London and the South East, as HS2 will reduce travel times from London to Birmingham Airport to under 40 minutes.

Birmingham city centre

Birmingham Curzon Street will be the terminal station at the end of a branch that connects to the mainline via a triangle junction at Coleshill. A station of the same name existed on the site between 1838 and 1966; the surviving Grade I listed station building will be retained and renovated.

The site is immediately adjacent to Moor Street station, and approximately northeast of New Street station, which is separated from Curzon and Moor streets by the Bull Ring. Passenger interchange with Moor Street would be at street level, across Moor Street Queensway; interchange with New Street would be via a pedestrian walkway between Moor Street and New Street (opened in 2013). In September 2018, one of Birmingham's oldest pubs, the Fox and Grapes, was demolished to make way for the new developments. The West Midlands Metro will be extended to serve the station.

Development planning for the Fazeley Street quarter of Birmingham has changed as a result of HS2. Prior to the announcement of the HS2 station, Birmingham City University had planned to build a new campus in Eastside. The proposed Eastside development will now include a new museum quarter, with the original station building becoming a new museum of photography, fronting onto a new Curzon Square, which will also be home to Ikon 2, a museum of contemporary art.

Clearing the site for construction commenced in December 2018. Grimshaw Architects received planning permission for three applications in April 2020. The new station is expected to have a zero-carbon rating and over of solar panels.

Birmingham to Manchester (Phases 2a and 2b)

Proposals for these station locations were announced on 28 January 2013.

Birmingham to Crewe (Phase 2a)

HS2 will pass through Staffordshire and Cheshire. The line will run through a tunnel under the Crewe junction, bypassing the existing Crewe station. The HS2 line will be linked to the West Coast Main Line via a grade-separated junction just south of Crewe, enabling "conventional compatible" trains exiting the high-speed line to call at Crewe station. In 2014, the chairman of HS2 advocated a dedicated hub station in Crewe. In November 2015 it was announced that the Crewe hub completion would be brought forward to 2027. In November 2017, the government and Network Rail supported a proposal to build the hub station on the existing station site, with a junction onto the West Coast Main Line north of the station. This will enable through-trains to bypass the station via a tunnel under the station and run directly onto the West Coast Main Line.

Manchester Airport (Phase 2b)

Manchester Airport High Speed station is a planned HS2 through-station serving Manchester Airport. It was recommended in 2013 by local authorities, during the consultation stage. Construction will depend on part funding by private investment from the Manchester Airports Group.

The proposed site is located on the northwestern side of the airport, to the west of the M56 motorway, at junction 5, and approximately northwest of the existing Manchester Airport railway station. A sub-surface station is planned, approximately below ground level, consisting of two central platforms, a pair of through-tracks for trains to pass through the station without stopping, a street-level passenger concourse, and a main entrance on the eastern side, facing the airport.

Current proposals do not detail passenger interchange methods; various options are being considered to integrate the new station with existing transport networks, including extending the Manchester Metrolink airport tram line to connect the HS2 station with the existing airport railway station.

If the station is built, it is estimated that the average journey time from London Euston to Manchester Airport would be 59 minutes.

Manchester Piccadilly High Speed (Phase 2b)

A new Manchester Piccadilly High Speed station is planned to be built on a viaduct parallel to the north side of the existing station. The station will have six platforms on three islands for both terminating High Speed 2 trains from London and Birmingham as well as Northern Powerhouse Rail trains to Liverpool, Warrington, Huddersfield, Leeds, and beyond. The present Piccadilly Metrolink stop is proposed to be relocated from ground-level, below the existing station platforms, to a new larger four-platform stop located underground below the high-speed station. Provision for a second ground-level Metrolink stop at the eastern end of the high-speed station—to service future Metrolink extensions—to be called Piccadilly Central, also form part of the plans.

Construction

The main stages of construction officially began on 4 September 2020, following previous delays. The civil engineering aspect of the construction of Phase 1 is worth roughly £6.6billion with preparation including over 8,000 boreholes for ground investigation.

Euston station in London

In October 2018, demolition began on the former carriage sheds at Euston station. This will allow the start of construction at the throat of the station at Mornington Street Bridge, and twin-bore tunnels to West Ruislip. In January 2019, the taxi rank at Euston was moved to a temporary site at the front of the station so that demolition of the One Euston Square and Grant Thornton House tower blocks could commence. The demolition period was scheduled to last ten months.

In June 2020, workers finished the demolition of the western ramp and canopy of the station. This part of the station had housed the parcels depot, which fell into disuse after parcel traffic shifted to being serviced by road.

Chiltern tunnels

In July 2020, work was completed on a -high headwall at the southern portal of the twin-bore tunnel. The Chiltern tunnels will take three years to dig, using two tunnel boring machines (TBM).

The tunnels are lined with concrete that is cast in sections at a purpose-built facility at the southern portal; the first sections were cast in March 2021. Tunnelling began in May 2021, with TBM ''Florence'', moving at a speed of up to per day, and is projected to take three-and-a-half years to complete. The second TBM, ''Cecilia'', was launched in July 2021. As of October 2022, 4 miles of tunnel have been dug by each machine.

Colne Valley Viaduct

The Colne Valley Viaduct is a -long bridge under construction to carry the high speed railway over the Colne Valley Regional Park in Hillingdon, West London. The viaduct is between the Northolt Tunnel, which carries HS2 from Old Oak Common railway station to Ruislip in Outer London, and the Chiltern Tunnel. The bridge-building machine was launched in June 2022.

When completed, it will be the longest railway viaduct in the UK.

Northolt Tunnels

TBM ''Sushila'', the first of four TBMs to be used on the Northolt tunnels, was launched from the West Ruislip portal in October 2022.

Other sites

Construction of Old Oak Common station began in June 2021.

In December 2021, TBM ''Dorothy'' was launched, tunnelling under Long Itchington Wood. It completed the first bore in July 2022, and will be returned to its initial position to complete the second, parallel bore.

Opposition to construction

In 2017, a protest camp was established at Harvil Road in the Colne Valley Regional Park by environmental activists intending to protect the wildlife habitats of bats and owls. The protesters asserted that freshwater aquifer would be affected by HS2 construction and this would impact London's water supply. The camp included members of the Green Party and Extinction Rebellion. In January 2020, HS2 bailiffs began to evict people from the site, after HS2 has exercised its right to compulsorily purchase the land from Hillingdon council, which had not been prepared to sell the land otherwise. A prosecution of two activists accused of aggravated trespass had previously collapsed in 2019, when HS2 was unable to prove it owned the land the activists were allegedly trespassing upon.

In early 2020, during the clearance of woodland along the route, the group HS2 Rebellion squatted on a site in the Colne Valley, aiming to block construction; the protesters argued that public money would be more suited to supporting the National Health Service during the COVID-19 pandemic. HS2 and Hillingdon council both moved to get separate injunctions allowing them to remove the squatters. In March 2020, another camp was set up, at Jones' Hill Wood in Buckinghamshire. In October 2020, activists, including " Swampy", were evicted from tree houses there.

In January 2021, it was revealed that protesters had dug a tunnel underneath Euston Square Gardens. The protesters were criticised for endangering themselves and emergency services personnel, and for being "costly to the taxpayer". In June 2021, HS2 stated that protests had so far cost the company £75million.

In the Spring of 2021, the Bluebell Woods Protection Camp was set up at Cash's Pit, adjacent to the A51 road, on the line of the proposed route as it passes north of the village of Swynnerton in the county of Staffordshire.

There have been incidents of violence directed towards HS2 workers.

Operation

The government proposes that by 2033 HS2 will provide up to 18 trains an hour to and from London. The service pattern is not yet finalised; the 2020 business case contains a suggested service pattern. Some services are to operate as two connected units that are eventually detached to serve multiple northern destinations.

Proposed service pattern

After an initial period with reduced service running north from , a full nine-train-per-hour service from is proposed to run after Phase 1 opens. The proposed service pattern may change, depending on whether Phase 2a opens alongside Phase 1.

When the whole of Phase 2 is open, the following service pattern is proposed:

Operator

The ongoing servicing and maintenance of High Speed 2 is included within the West Coast Partnership franchise, which was awarded to Avanti West Coast—a joint venture between FirstGroup

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