HS2 - High Speed Rail 2

Britain is pushing ahead with plans to build one of the boldest transport infrastructure projects of recent decades. High Speed Rail 2  (HS2) will cost over £30 billion and take at least 20 years before it is complete. The stakes are high - and so are temperatures in the intense political debate now underway about the merits of the government's proposals...

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IET Video: HS2: what are the facts?

Comment: MPs need to realise we just don't need HS2

Joe Rukin: "By not investing in ultra high speed rail in the last few years, the UK has dodged a bullet"

No matter how big the question marks over the HS2 project get, the government seems even more determined to push the project through. The only way to apply the brakes is for MPs to be responsible.

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'Virtually no evidence' HS2 will boost growth, damning report finds

Businessmen on trains: The Department for Transport assumes they never work in transit.

The business case for High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) was dealt a body-blow today, with the publication of a report which raises serious questions about the research which has gone into the project.

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Comment: HS2 is going ahead, but the battle for hearts and minds continues

Alex Burrows, head of transport and infrastructure at Insight Public Affairs.

With two bills dedicated to it, High Speed Rail 2 is firmly on course, but the debate is still about perception rather than facts.

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'Make the case for HS2 benefits', say experts

The case for HS2 will be made in parliament following the introduction of two bills in the Queen's Speech

If High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) is to achieve a groundswell of public support then the wider economic case for it needs to be made, a panel of transport experts concluded last night.

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Comment: BML2 – the high speed spine which can solve our congestion problem

Brian Hart: 'The cost would be significant, but the rewards immense.'

With rail usage continuing to soar in London and south-east, proposals for a Brighton Main Line 2 are starting to get a serious hearing.

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Opinion Former News

IET on Queen's Speech: Commitment needed for entire HS2 route

A lack of commitment from the Government for the entire route of the HS2 line means that this vital infrastructure project risks being developed in isolation, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has warned.

IET: HS2 risks being developed in isolation

As further details are set out on the proposed High Speed 2 rail line, engineers are warning the Government that the scheme must be considered alongside local transport requirements.

IET: Lessons not learned from previous High Speed rail mistakes

Engineers are warning that the current High Speed 2 proposals must learn from the mistakes made during the planning of the first high speed railway line which connects London and the Channel Tunnel.

Comment: If you oppose HS2, you have to vote Ukip

David Meacock: 'Please don't feel guilty about betraying the Conservative party, they've already betrayed you – and without a care.'

The Conservative party's failure to adequately fight HS2 are the last straw - lifelong Tories who oppose it should vote for Ukip.

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Property compensation consultation on HS2 was 'unlawful'

Court ruling: HS2 compensation consultation was illegal

The government's consultation on compensation for homeowners affected by the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail route was "so unfair as to be unlawful", a high court judge has found.

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DfT braces for bad news in HS2 judicial review ruling

Britain's future HS2 network won't suffer a "major hiccup" as a result of the judicial review, Simon Burns believes

Campaigners are set to discover whether the coalition's much-disputed high speed rail consultation was illegal when a judge finally delivers his ruling later.

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'Complete lack of common sense': The disaster of the West Coast franchise

Virgin Rail was one of the companies bidding for the franchise before it was cancelled by the DfT.

The Department for Transport has been told to 'get its house in order' by MPs following the bungling of the InterCity West Coast rail franchise competition.

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'It's a living nightmare': Parliament's anti-HS2 ringleader emerges

Cheryl Gillan: 'They woke on Monday morning to the living nightmare my constituents have experienced since March 2010'

Commuters will see their rail fares continue to rise to pay for the new High Speed Rail line, its leading parliamentary critic has said.

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New age of the railway: HS2 opponents ready for the fight

The new rail age: A Y-shaped line costing £32 billion will reduce journey times in Britain.

Campaigners intent on stopping the construction of Britain's new high speed rail system were gearing up for a fight today, after the route of the line was announced.

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The new age of the railway: High speed rail phase two set to be unveiled

Age of speed: High speed rail will travel at 250 miles an hour.

Proponents of high speed rail say this week will mark the start of a new age of the railway in Britain, as David Cameron prepares to finally give the go-ahead for the project.

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Tory grassroots lead charge against HS2

Protesters gathered outside the Royal Court of Justice

Rural Conservative councillors are taking on the government's flagship High Speed 2 rail project with a week of legal challenges.

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HS1 boss questions case for HS2

Does Britain need a high speed network like other European countries?

High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) has come under fire from the chairman of Britain's first high-speed rail network, in a further setback for officials at the Department for Transport.

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Comment: HS2 – This bright shiny train does not do what it says on the box

Gilllan has represented Chesham and Amersham since 1992

The government fell for Labour's trap when it went ahead with high speed rail. This expensive new toy isn't worth the money.

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HS2's enemies take heart from rail franchise fiasco

Campaigners don't see the points of HS2

The abandoned west coast main line rail franchise could be followed by the scrapping of the Department for Transport's controversial planned high speed rail network linking London with Birmingham, its opponents are hoping.

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Feature: Will High Speed 2 end up derailed?

Does Britain need an equivalent to France's TGV?

It's going to take 20 years to finish and cost the taxpayer an eye-watering £32 billion. No wonder the government's High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) project has plenty of advocates – and enemies.

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