Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) director of external affairs Alasdair Reisner said: “HS2 will be central to Britain’s transport infrastructure for generations to come. CECA believes that building HS2 should be part of a wide-ranging approach to renewing our national infrastructure, and applaud the fact that the project continues to draw cross-party support.
“CECA’s own research has found that between 2000 and 2010, failure to adequately invest in infrastructure has cost the UK an estimated £78bn every year. Only through the delivery of projects like HS2 can we close this gap.
“We particularly support proposals to speed up delivery of the second phase, helping to drive growth in northern England.
“CECA believes that proposals for a more substantial redevelopment of Euston station better reflect the ambition of the project to become one of the nation’s major transport hubs.
“However, HS2 must not be built at the expense of other projects. Instead, it should be seen as a foundational to the diverse portfolio of transport and energy projects we will need to construct if we our national infrastructure is to meet the demands of the 21st century.
“For this reason we welcome Sir David Higgins’ demand for additional focus on delivering wider transport in the North, above and beyond those provided by HS2.”
Commenting on proposals for a new transport hub in Crewe, head of infrastructure at consultancy WSP Duncan Symonds said: “Aside from the obvious benefits there is the added bonus for freight of diverting high speed trains away from the congested Lichfield to Crewe section of the West Coast Mainline. To maximise potential local plans for development around the hub and regional transport links would need to be expedited.”
He added: “Redeveloping Euston is also an obvious win – there are many examples of improved transport infrastructure unlocking wider economic and social benefits, you just have to look at Kings Cross and London Bridge Quarter to see the impact it can have.
“The issue of the HS1 link is slightly trickier. We can see the benefits of a link but more analysis is needed into whether there will be the demand to warrant and sustain it, and how international passport control facilities would be incorporated into current designs. We’ll be watching this issue develop with interest because from our internal debates on the matter it’s clear that there are a number of extremely complex issues to be balanced and addressed.”
Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) director general Nick Baveystock said: “Higgins’ aspiration to accelerate the delivery of HS2 is welcome news – we see no fundamental engineering reason why the line could not be operational earlier than 2033 and experience around the world also indicates this is possible. The benefits are far reaching – not least the cost savings which could result from greater continuity between the two project phases and the positive impact on the UK’s engineering skills base.
“Realising this - as Higgins himself acknowledges – is however dependent on stability and going forwards this project needs strong commitment and support, both politically and financially. Government’s efforts to make the case for HS2 must continue and importantly, it should position the project as an integral part of a national transport strategy rather than a project developed in isolation. This includes further work to help strengthen connectivity for those locations not directly served by HS2.”
Patrick Twist, transport partner at law firm Pinsent Masons, said: "There are two strong messages coming out of Sir David Higgins' report. First that the overall costs of the project will be reduced by starting Phase Two earlier and bringing its benefits to the northern cities three years early. Quite simply, the longer it takes the more it costs – it is a message well understood in the construction industry but to-date Government has preferred to spread the cost over a longer period.
"The second is his call that more be done to integrate HS2 into the existing rail infrastructure so that it can be a catalyst for fundamental change. As a former CEO of Network Rail, he fully appreciates that to obtain the full regeneration and economic benefits of HS2 it is essential to ensure that there is substantially improved connectivity in the North. Birmingham has already put forward its Curzon Masterplan for the redevelopment of the area around Birmingham City Centre station.
"The HS2 Growth Take Force will be reporting later this week. No doubt it will also stress the importance of improving connectivity and using HS2 as a catalyst for development.
"Sir David recognises that currently proposed HS1-HS2 rail link is sub-optimal and he calls for it to be reconsidered. Few would argue with that but businesses in Birmingham and the North will look for this link to be upgraded so that it can provide effective and efficient through services to the continent. Reconsideration will not be welcome if it simply means dropping the link for the present.
"His report endorses the line recently taken by the Chancellor George Osborne that a more ambitious full scale redevelopment of Euston will deliver a better economic outcome than the scaled down proposals recently put forward by HS2.
"Sir David has been prudent in not seeking to reduce the contingency for HS2 at this stage, although this may disappoint some. His record of delivering the Olympics on time and to budget means his statement that Phase One can be delivered within the existing £21.4 billion budget is entirely credible. He has rightly made clear that any material reduction in cost will be dependent on the length of time the parliamentary process takes.”
Katja Hall, chief policy director at the Confederation of British Industry, said: “This report will help build confidence in the budget, delivery and benefits of HS2. The best way to keep a lid on costs is to move to the construction stage quickly and we would urge politicians on all sides of the House to get behind this important project. HS2 will connect eight of our ten largest cities and boost local economies along the route, and the proposed interchange at Crewe is particularly good news for the north. The North London line is a busy commuter route and it therefore makes sense to reconsider how we link to HS1. We would urge HS2 and the Department for Transport to come up with a workable alternative swiftly.”
Of course, there remains plenty of opposition to the whole project. Joe Rukin of the Stop HS2 campaign said: “Sir David Higgins wants to say that high speed rail brings economic benefits, but the announcement that Ebbsfleet will now be home to a new dormatory suburb of London, because high speed rail there failed to deliver the economic growth which was promised, should be a warning to everyone thinking HS2 will be good for local economies. The evidence is clear, all HS2 will do is drag more economic activity to London. This should have been clear when the HS2 chief engineer said HS2 would lead to a ‘new city’ between Birmingham and Coventry, and all the other places which think new HS2 stations will be a boon should realise, all HS2 will do is increase the London commuter belt.”
Penny Gaines, chair of Stop HS2, added: “Every attempt to find cost savings in HS2 has either resulted in upping the budget for the project, or dropping major parts of the project. Last year the Heathrow link was paused. This year Higgins, the man who left out kitchens of the athletes’ apartments for the Olympics, is leaving HS2 without a connection to Europe by dropping the link between HS1 and HS2.
“Higgins has left in the £10 billion extra contingency that was added to the HS2 budget last year. He must know where it’s been spent already and that there is no spare cash in the project. Politicians are saying that they can’t increase the costs of HS2, but the budget is already spiralling out of control. HS2 should be cancelled immediately, so the country can look at the real transport needs of the country.”
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