Review of the technical specification for high speed rail in the UK

Publications

Executive summary

This is HS2 Ltd’s report to Government which presents the outcomes of the review of responses to the consultation regarding the technical specification for HS2. The High speed rail: Investing in Britain’s future consultation was launched on 28th February 2011 with a closing date for responses of 29th July 2011. That consultation covered both the Government’s strategy for high speed rail, and the line of route for phase one from London to the West Midlands. Consultation responses expressed concern around a number of areas which this report specifically considers:

specifying proven technology
capacity of HS2: 18 trains per hour
a design speed of 250 mph (400 kph)
hours of operation
gauge of HS2 trains
the specification of the classic compatible trains
reliability
impact on other existing rail services
freight on HS2
interconnectivity with other transport networks
operational safety

To address these we established a programme to review existing work and, where appropriate, undertake new analysis. This work has highlighted a number of areas that would require careful consideration during the subsequent design stages of HS2 and its interface with the classic network and, if a decision is taken to proceed with HS2, we would seek to address these in our future work programme. We have also identified a small programme of adjustments to infrastructure on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) that would be needed to mitigate impacts on journey times for classic compatible services north of Lichfield. These have been included in revised cost estimates for HS2.

Overall, we conclude that the specification developed for HS2 is robust and appropriate for the stage of development of the project.