THE Government has given the green light for the HS2 project to begin construction, stating work could proceed in line with coronavirus safety guidelines, despite the national lockdown.
A notice to proceed has been issued to the companies that will build phase one of the high-speed railway, which runs from London to Birmingham. Nothing North of the Midlands has yet been approved.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the go ahead for HS2 earlier this year despite it running tens of billions of pounds over budget and several years behind schedule.
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 re-balancing 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.”
HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Thurston said: “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.
“HS2 has been over 10 years in development and design. While the country’s focus is rightly on defeating Covid-19, the issuing of notice to proceed today ensures that our contractors and their supply chains have the confidence that they can commit to building HS2, generating thousands of skilled jobs across the country as we recover from the pandemic.”
Preparatory work at some HS2 sites has been paused following a review of what operations can be carried out in accordance with coronavirus guidance.
But HS2 Ltd said the four joint ventures will “start work immediately” on detailed designs, site preparation work and issuing sub-contracts.
Transport union TSSA chief Manuel Cortes has hailed the green light for Phase One as “the green economic boost our country and economy needs.”
TSSA members work across HS2 in planning and engineering roles, with the majority working from home on planning work during the Coronavirus lockdown.
Welcoming the announcement Mr Cortes said: “This is good news for our rail industry and its supply chains and shows a future beyond the Coronavirus lockdown. It’s the green economic boost our country and economy needs.
“Our economy will need a significant boost once we have beaten Coronavirus and we are under no illusions about the scale and challenge that a big economic downturn will create.
“HS2 is the biggest infrastructure project our country has seen in years and when it’s safe to continue with construction work this priority project must step up. HS2 will play a significant role in rebuilding our economy and in providong the green technology and low carbon transport we need to help tackle climate change. It’s importance cannot be overstated.
“Given this, there has never been a better time to start building Phase Two of HS2 from the North so that both construction projects meet in the middle. We also want to see the new line go all the way to Scotland and that should start without delay.”
The DfT and HS2 Ltd’s estimate of the cost of phase one ranges from £35 billion to £45 billion.
