HS2 rail link work given green light

Hugely expensive project sharply divides opinion in United Kingdom

The British government has given formal permission for construction work to begin on the high speed rail link known as HS2, going from London through the West Midlands to Leeds and Manchester in the North of England.

The move comes 11 years after the then-Labour government set up a company called HS2 Ltd to look at the potential for developing a new rail connection, and the news has been welcomed by contractors amid the current uncertain economic climate caused by the novel coronavirus.

"While the government's top priority is rightly to combat the spread of coronavirus, protect the NHS and save lives, we cannot delay work on our long-term plan to level up the country," said Minister of State at the Department for Transport Andrew Stephenson, who is responsible for HS2.

"HS2 will be the spine of the country's transport network, boosting capacity and connectivity while also rebalancing opportunity fairly across our towns and cities."

The formal notice to proceed from the Department of Transport means preparatory work can begin on detailed designs for the four joint ventures that have already been awarded contracts.

These initial deals are worth 12 billion pounds ($14.9 billion) and cover projects such as civil engineering work on the first phase, from Euston Station in North London to Birmingham. This section alone requires 70 new viaducts.

The second phase of the project will see the line split in two, with one stretch serving Manchester and the other going through the East Midlands up to Leeds.

In 2010, the overall cost of the project was estimated at 20 billion pounds, but the most recent estimate has seen it pass the 100 billion pound mark.

Mark Thurston, chief executive of HS2, welcomed the news and its timing.

"In these difficult times, today's announcement represents both an immediate boost to the construction industry－and the many millions of UK jobs that the industry supports－and an important investment in Britain's future," he said.

Other associated parties gave the news a cautious welcome. The GMB trade union called it a "project of national importance" but said bearing in mind the additional requirements put on works in the current environment, the safety of workers and suppliers "must be the overriding priority".

"Construction should be conditional on rigorous observation of social distancing, provision of personal protective equipment where required, individualized risk assessments for workers with underlying conditions, and mandatory dialogue between contractors of all levels and recognized union," said National Officer at GMB Eamon O'Hearn.

But with the announcement coming just hours after Chancellor Rishi Sunak's warning about the economic impact of the novel coronavirus, there are also plenty of people who oppose it.

Matthew Kilcoyne of the right-wing Adam Smith Institute think tank called the timing of the announcement "tone deaf".

"We've got an economic crisis that's going to cost taxpayers billions. We can't afford vanity projects like HS2," he said. "We need to get back on to a sustainable financial footing."