Views are being sought on the proposed route and on its sustainability impacts. Responders are also invited to provide views on how the potential released capacity generated by HS2 could be used, and on the opportunities to introduce other utilities along the line of route.
The consultation opens today, 17 July 2013, and will close at 5pm on 31 January 2014.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “HS2 will be a vital part of our infrastructure. This new high speed line will open up opportunities for this country that we have not seen in generations. Its scope to transform this country is enormous. The delivery of a state-of-the-art, safe, reliable high speed network will not only better serve our great cities but will return Britain to the forefront of engineering and construction.”
The new high speed network is being planned and built in two phases. Phase One of HS2 will see a new line run from London Euston, through Old Oak Common in West London, to new stations at Birmingham city centre and a new Birmingham Interchange station near Birmingham Airport. The details of this route were announced by the government on 10 January 2012.
Phase two would extend the high speed line from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, with connections on to the West and East Coast Main Lines to serve the rest of the North of England and Scotland. Intermediate HS2 stations would be built at Manchester Airport, Sheffield Meadowhall and an East Midlands Hub at Toton (between Nottingham and Derby). It would be integrated with the existing network, allowing trains to serve destinations such as Crewe, Liverpool, Wigan, Preston, York, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and others.
Full details of the consultation process and how to respond are on the HS2 website.
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