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HS2 progress 2020 and beyond

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Certainly, I dont think any such thing will happen immediately, as the destination station is Euston, and channel tunnel trains go from St Pancras (though that is not really "across London", being about 900 yards) . But I would think eventually (when most of us are dead!) it will happen
 
At the moment you arrive at Euston then transfer to St Pancras by the underground to catch Eurostar? I think this is set to continue. At the moment HS2 is planned to arrive at Old Oak Common interchange. The extension to an improved Euston will come later. At the moment Birmingham to London leg is set for 2029- 2033.
 
mikejee said:
Certainly, I dont think any such thing will happen immediately, as the destination station is Euston, and channel tunnel trains go from St Pancras (though that is not really "across London", being about 900 yards) . But I would think eventually (when most of us are dead!) it will happen
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Yes, it isn't difficult to get from one London terminus to another and as you say Euston to St Pancras is a short journey. I'm sure my children will make this journey, but it lies in the future as does the extension to Crewe. In London I usually get the underground, but you don't really get an impression of how far stations are above ground.
 
Lloyd said:
Does anyone know if Channel Tunnel trains will be able to access HS2, so that direct transport from Birmingham (and nothern cities later) can have direct access to Europe, or will we still have to traipse across London with our luggage as now?
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Are the rail gages the same?
 
Does anyone know if Channel Tunnel trains will be able to access HS2, so that direct transport from Birmingham (and northern cities later) can have direct access to Europe, or will we still have to traipse across London with our luggage as of now?

There are times when this plan seems deliberate policy. The link between HS 2 and HS 1 was initially planned but shelved. Part of the present work will be a tunnel from Old Oak toward Euston. The work starting on the West Ruislip tunnels is encouraging.

A travelator from Euston to Kings Cross and St Pancras would be of use, but what is needed is a direct train from the Midlands and North to St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel Link. Those trains could use the existing train network, with some alteration, but the resistance from organisations such as Transport for London needs to be overcome.

When it was still British Rail tests were undertaken for clearances at stations along the route, but the railway privatisation killed off any hope of a through Scotland- North West- Midland train to Europe which could and SHOULD have happened. Freight wagons do pass along the network, but the lucrative fares derived from underground, the new Elizabeth line, and taxis are seen to be an obstacle to providing a service.

It is perhaps remarkable that an open-access operator has considered running a train to Paris, Bruxelles or Amsterdam, instead of trying to compete with the franchise operators.

As to West Ruislip, the tunnel-boring machine can be seen in the following image:

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At the moment they think thev will have problems with the removal of soil from the Euston station site. I can quite see why locals might be "somewhat concerned"

HS2: ‘Further work’ needed to solve Euston spoil conundrum​

10 OCT, 2022 BY ROB HORGAN

HS2 Ltd has confirmed that “further work” is still needed to work up a plan to remove spoil from its Euston station site and that “no decisions have been made”.
Earlier this year, Sir Douglas Oakervee was commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) to assess options for transporting excavated materials away from the Euston site.
Oakervee was drafted in following a backlash from politicians and residents, after HS2 Ltd revealed that it was looking to remove debris from the new Euston station development by road rather than rail, as previously expected.
According to agenda papers released ahead of next week’s Transport for London (TfL) board meeting, Oakervee tabled his recommendations with stakeholders at Euston in July.
TfL’s minutes add that stakeholders – including HS2 Ltd, TfL, Network Rail and the DfT – “are now considering the feasibility of the suggestions”.
A spokesperson for HS2 told NCE that Oakervee’s “Materials by Rail review requires further work on potential options”.

“This work is underway and we expect an update to be provided to Euston stakeholders in November. No decisions have been made at this time,” the spokesperson added.
HS2 Ltd and its main works contractor MDJV (a JV between Mace and Dragados) have previously committed to removing waste from their construction sites by rail, and said that as many as seven freight trains a day would be filled with spoil from the London area and taken to a disused quarry in Barrington, Cambridgeshire.
However, while the revised plans for the HS2 Euston station have shortened the construction time and reduced the amount of spoil that will be generated, the rising costs of construction and the move to deliver the station in one phase has prompted a rethink.
Removing the waste by rail in this shorter construction window will cause extra disruption to other services on the network, which HS2 would have to compensate operators for.
The alternative is to remove the spoil by road. However, there are already 60 HS2 lorries daily in the roads around Euston and Camden, and it is believed that this decision will see that increase to around 150. This means that there will be over 25,000 extra HGV journeys to and from the site in the course of the station’s construction.

Camden Council, the mayor of London and London MPs have all expressed outrage at the suggestion.
Mayor Sadiq Khan previously said that “this move would be terrible for pollution, congestion and safety” and called on the government to “block this”.
The HS2 station itself will be set across three levels, with 10 450m long subsurface platforms, which will at peak operation will be used by up to 17 high speed trains per hour serving destinations in the Midlands and the North.
 
From "New Civil Engineer"

Two HS2 JVs lack ‘sufficient capacity and capability’ according to deputy chair​

17 OCT, 2022 BY ROB HAKIMIAN

Two out of the four main contractor joint ventures (JVs) working on HS2 Phase 1, London to Birmingham, lack “sufficient capability to manage all the various obligations placed upon them”, according to a leaked internal review document.
The document, seen by the Financial Times, is report by HS2 Ltd deputy chair Sir Jon Thompson to the HS2 board. Thompson, who was formerly head of HM Revenue & Customs, adds that the four JVs are “too large to effectively manage and control”.
The four JVs working on HS2 are:
  • SCS JV: Skanska, Costain, Strabag
  • Align JV: Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick
  • EKFB JV: Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial, Bam Nuttall
  • BBV JV: Balfour Beatty, Vinci
SCS is working on the tunnels in London. Align is currently working on the Chiltern tunnels and the Colne Valley Viaduct. EKFB is working on the route beyond the Colne Valley, through Buckinghamshire, including the Thame Valley Viaduct and the precast green tunnels in Chipping Warden. BBV is building the West Midlands section of the route, including the Water Orton viaducts.
Thompson’s report, according to the Financial Times, also says that HS2 Ltd is receiving “bids for money from contractors on a continual basis and significant and lengthy commercial discussions around them”.
The report states that the final cost of HS2 Phase 1 will be “many billions more than the reported estimate” of £40.3bn. This means it will also likely overrun its contingency budget of £44.6bn. Thompson says that HS2 has continued to record costs in 2019 prices, which means that none of the figures truly reflect “what has or is being paid”.

The report continues: “In almost every area reviewed significant developments are planned in 2022/23 which impact on the estimates and risk.” It also highlights the “significant and growing challenge” of inflationary cost pressures.
Last week, Lord Tony Berkeley, who served as the deputy chair of the government-ordered review into HS2 which concluded earlier this year, said that allowing for inflation using Office for National Statistics indices, he believes HS2’s overall cost for Phases 1 and 2a now sits at £155.52bn – over £100bn more than what has been budgeted for.
Despite this, the Department for Transport has said: “There are no plans to cancel HS2, this vital project is already well underway, significantly contributing to Britain’s economic growth and setting the foundations for additional schemes as Northern Powerhouse Rail.”
A HS2 spokesperson said: “We are confident in the progress the programme is making in partnership with our suppliers. HS2 is complex project, unprecedent in scope and scale, and we constantly review and evaluate the performance of our Joint Venture construction partners. HS2 Ltd has strong processes for the management of our contractors, and working together we remain confident that we will deliver the project successfully.”
 
mikejee said:
From "New Civil Engineer"

Two HS2 JVs lack ‘sufficient capacity and capability’ according to deputy chair​

17 OCT, 2022 BY ROB HAKIMIAN

Two out of the four main contractor joint ventures (JVs) working on HS2 Phase 1, London to Birmingham, lack “sufficient capability to manage all the various obligations placed upon them”, according to a leaked internal review document.
The document, seen by the Financial Times, is report by HS2 Ltd deputy chair Sir Jon Thompson to the HS2 board. Thompson, who was formerly head of HM Revenue & Customs, adds that the four JVs are “too large to effectively manage and control”.
The four JVs working on HS2 are:
  • SCS JV: Skanska, Costain, Strabag
  • Align JV: Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick
  • EKFB JV: Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial, Bam Nuttall
  • BBV JV: Balfour Beatty, Vinci
SCS is working on the tunnels in London. Align is currently working on the Chiltern tunnels and the Colne Valley Viaduct. EKFB is working on the route beyond the Colne Valley, through Buckinghamshire, including the Thame Valley Viaduct and the precast green tunnels in Chipping Warden. BBV is building the West Midlands section of the route, including the Water Orton viaducts.
Thompson’s report, according to the Financial Times, also says that HS2 Ltd is receiving “bids for money from contractors on a continual basis and significant and lengthy commercial discussions around them”.
The report states that the final cost of HS2 Phase 1 will be “many billions more than the reported estimate” of £40.3bn. This means it will also likely overrun its contingency budget of £44.6bn. Thompson says that HS2 has continued to record costs in 2019 prices, which means that none of the figures truly reflect “what has or is being paid”.

The report continues: “In almost every area reviewed significant developments are planned in 2022/23 which impact on the estimates and risk.” It also highlights the “significant and growing challenge” of inflationary cost pressures.
Last week, Lord Tony Berkeley, who served as the deputy chair of the government-ordered review into HS2 which concluded earlier this year, said that allowing for inflation using Office for National Statistics indices, he believes HS2’s overall cost for Phases 1 and 2a now sits at £155.52bn – over £100bn more than what has been budgeted for.
Despite this, the Department for Transport has said: “There are no plans to cancel HS2, this vital project is already well underway, significantly contributing to Britain’s economic growth and setting the foundations for additional schemes as Northern Powerhouse Rail.”
A HS2 spokesperson said: “We are confident in the progress the programme is making in partnership with our suppliers. HS2 is complex project, unprecedent in scope and scale, and we constantly review and evaluate the performance of our Joint Venture construction partners. HS2 Ltd has strong processes for the management of our contractors, and working together we remain confident that we will deliver the project successfully.”
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OMG, I wonder what that does to the break even timeline?
 
From new civil Engineer today

HS2’s £105M Euston station design ‘can no longer be used’, DfT admits​

28 OCT, 2022 BY CATHERINE MOORE

The Department for Transport (DfT) has revealed that "significant elements" of the original design work on HS2's Euston station "can no longer be used" after the decision was taken for the station to be scaled back from 11 to 10 platforms.
As a result HS2 Ltd has had to discard large parts of the original design on which it has already spent £105.6M, according to the DfT's latest six monthly project update.
In October last year the government and HS2 Ltd confirmed that the number of platforms at the station would be reduced from 11 to 10 in order to allow construction to take place in one single phase.
The six monthly update, published yesterday (27 October), adds: "Following confirmation of the move to the more efficient 10-platform station design and single-stage build at Euston Station, significant elements of the design work on the original 11-platform station can no longer be used. As the cost of this earlier design work has ceased to be of future benefit to HS2 Ltd, the related costs were reported as an ‘impairment’ in HS2 Ltd’s published annual report and accounts for 2021/22."
In the annual report, this "impairment" is listed as £105.6M.
Grimshaw and Arup won the Euston concept design job in 2012 but were replaced by WilkinsonEyre with WSP in February 2017. The original team was brought back for the detailed design work a year later, with the latest designs drawn up by a consortium made up of Arup, WSP and Grimshaw Architects. Refreshed designs for the station were revealed in March, seven years after initial drawings for the London terminus were first tabled.

The six-monthly report, submitted by new transport secretary Mark Harper, says that the move to a smaller, less complex 10-platform single-stage delivery strategy at Euston "is now the basis for ongoing design work and other activities".
It adds: "The department anticipates that this will assist in addressing some of the cost pressure at Euston as the updated station design is developed over the coming months. This work will also consider and address the appropriate level of contingency that should be held to manage risks that are likely to arise during the construction of an asset of this complexity. I will provide further updates as this work progresses over the course of the next 18 months."
At Euston, HS2 Ltd and its construction partner, Mace Dragados, are continuing to optimise design and construction efficiencies. Work progressing on site includes demolitions, piling of the station box structure, the construction of a relocated London Underground traction sub-station, the creation of a new utility corridor and construction of a new six-storey site accommodation block.
Earlier this month HS2 Ltd confirmed that “further work” is still needed to work up a plan to remove spoil from its Euston station site and that “no decisions have been made”.
Overall, the six-monthly report confirms that phase 1 (West Midlands to London) remains within the budget and schedule range and is hitting construction milestones.

Phase 1 remains within its overall budget of £44.6bn, but the report says that "if unmitigated, the final delivery cost is likely to exceed its target cost of £40.3bn based upon its forecast of future spending". As a result, in September, the Department for Transport commissioned HS2 Ltd "to develop and implement actions to bring projected costs back in line with the target cost".
HS2 Ltd is also progressing key activities for phase 2a to support the next stage of delivery, and since the last report the phase 2b Western Leg Bill had its second reading in June 2022 and is progressing through the legislative stages.
 
makes very sad viewing martyn however i think that for the past 10 years or so we knew that nothing was going to stand in the way of HS2...ancient woodlands..homes and businesses...historical buildings and grave yards have all suffered and there is nothing we can do to stop it :(

lyn
 
Astoness said:
makes very sad viewing martyn however i think that for the past 10 years or so we knew that nothing was going to stand in the way of HS2...ancient woodlands..homes and businesses...historical buildings and grave yards have all suffered and there is nothing we can do to stop it :(

lyn
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I think we have to look at the overall result here. There is no doubt in my mind that England "North of Watford" needs it not only to balance up the transportation needs here (one of the main prospects of HS2 is to free up more of the exisiting network for local and medium distance commuter traffic, as express services move over to the new line), but the fact that lost tree and plant growth is being replaced with larger areas of new greenery, with care taken to improve living conditions for the animals, birds and insects of the route pathway. Would I want HS2 in my back yard? I wouldn't mind, knowing that overall it is improving the society that I inhabit.
 
Too true Lyn, I am almost in tears every time I go a short way from where I live.
This couple of weeks we have gone to Coleshill and , to Resort World and to Balsall Common and Knowle
No trees, just a flat wasteland in every direction.
As for the trees being replaced , some of them had taken 100 years to grow.

As it appears that worktime is changing since Covid as more and more people work from home how many people will need this train.
 
Alberta said:
Too true Lyn, I am almost in tears every time I go a short way from where I live.
This couple of weeks we have gone to Coleshill and , to Resort World and to Balsall Common and Knowle
No trees, just a flat wasteland in every direction.
As for the trees being replaced , some of them had taken 100 years to grow.

As it appears that worktime is changing since Covid as more and more people work from home how many people will need this train.
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and the trees that are being replaced alberta will most likely never get to be 100 years old anyway such is our society for what i call sell by date history

lyn
 
Alberta said:
As it appears that worktime is changing since Covid as more and more people work from home how many people will need this train.
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I have read elsewhere that working from home is becoming less popular now. Does anyone have the true facts? How many people need the new trains is not the point, moving the expresses to HS lines frees up more of the existing track for more local trains. It is interesting to compare the comments of those against HS2 to those who decried the coming of railways in the first place - some towns losing out as initally they didn't want them in their locality.
 
I remember all the complaints we made against the biggest interchange of motorways being built in our back yard. We were not listened to and we had to breath in the pollution thereafter. At least HS2 will be much cleaner.
 
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