HS2
Ltd
is
preparing
for
a
‘critical
new
phase’


as
work
on
the
surviving
section
of
Phase
1
between
Old
Oak
Common
in
west
London
and
Birmingham
Curzon
Street
is
stepped
up,
with
an
investment
of
£5
billion
in
new
contracts
planned
for
2024.

The
last
12
months
have
not
been
happy
ones
for
the
project,
which
suffered
the
loss
of
Phases
2A
and
2B
north
of
the
West
Midlands
to
Crewe
and
Manchester
when
the
Prime
Minister
cancelled
them
on
4
October,
along
with
the
last
spur
towards
the
East
Midlands.

Controversy
continues
over
the
fate
of
the
land
and
properties
which
had
already
been
purchased
for
the
section
to
Crewe,
as
well
as
the
poorly-received
‘Network
North’
plan
for
alternative
transport
schemes
which
would
use
the
£36
billion
released
by
the
cancellation.
There
is
also
uncertainty
about
whether
HS2
will
ever
reach
its
intended
terminus
at
London
Euston.

Rolling
stock
has
encountered
problems
as
well.
The
Department
for
Transport
had
attempted
to
provide
only
one
door
on
each
vehicle,
and
is
now
said
to
be
negotiating
a
costly
revised
specification
for
two
doors
with
the
rolling
stock
manufacturers
Hitachi
and
Alstom.
Alstom,
meanwhile,
is
poised
to
close
its
Litchurch
Lane
works
in
Derby,
partly
because
of
the
reduction
in
size
of
the
HS2
rolling
stock
contract,
and
a
decision
may
be
made
within
weeks.

Even
so,
the
remaining
part
of
HS2
will
include
new
contracts
this
year
which
will
involve
track,
power,
signalling,
overhead
lines
and
the
new
network
control
centre.

HS2
Ltd,
which
described
its
plans
for
this
year
as
‘pivotal’
said
the
forthcoming
work
‘will
be
constructed
to
the
highest
standards
to
help
create
a
new
benchmark
for
speed
and
punctuality,
ensuring
passengers
can
rely
on
the
service,
even
in
the
face
of
extreme
weather’.

Other
contracts
will
include
a
new
telecom
system
that
will
provide
an
uninterrupted
mobile
signal
on
board
the
trains,
even
in
the
project’s
many
tunnels.

Over
the
past
year,
HS2
has
seen
the
start
of
work
on
the
first
of
14
new
platforms
at
Old
Oak
Common,
the
completion
of
HS2’s
first
twin-bore
tunnel
beneath
Long
Itchington
Wood
in
Warwickshire,
the
launch
of
the
first
of
two
tunnel
boring
machines
for
the
Bromford
tunnel
on
the
approach
to
Birmingham,
and
the
half
way
point
reached
on
the
Colne
Valley
viaduct,
which
will
be
3.3km
long.

It
was
also
confirmed
that
HS2’s
workforce
had
passed
the
30,000-mark.

HS2
Ltd
executive
chair
Sir
Jon
Thompson
said:
‘This
is
a
project
of
phenomenal
scale
and
ambition
and
we’re
immensely
proud
of
the
progress
made
between
London
and
the
West
Midlands
throughout
2023.
There
will
be
no
let-up
in
delivery
in
2024.

‘The
transition
in
our
focus
towards
railway
systems
represents
another
significant
milestone
and
will
edge
us
ever
closer
towards
bringing
this
transformational
project
to
life.’