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HS2 travel times: Route, maximum speed and time you could save on your commute

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HS2 , the high-speed train line being built to connect England’s north and south, has always been controversial.

Campaigners have long rallied against it – particularly environmental protestors and those who have faced serious disruption, including people whose houses have been demolished to make way for the build.

But now the eastern leg of HS2 – which was due to travel between Birmingham and the East Midlands to Leeds – has been cancelled by the government.

And many northern MPs aren’t happy about it – bringing about claims the changes ‘could doom the north’.

There are still plans to go ahead with one line of HS2, but where it will it go? And will it drastically improve commuter times?

What is HS2’s current planned route?

Currently, the plan is for HS2 to connect London to Birmingham.

The route – which is part of Phase 1 of the plans – will travel from London Euston to new station Birmingham Interchange.

This line will also travel via Old Oak Common, a station being built for HS2 in West London’s Hammersmith – as well as a newly-built Birmingham Curzon Street station.

Plans say that this part of HS2 should be up and running between 2029 and 2033.

Phase 2 will see the line extended from Birmingham to Manchester Piccadilly station, as well as to Wigan and Crewe.

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This work is estimated to be completed between 2035 and 2040, so it’s still a long way off.

A planned extension into Derby, Sheffield and Leeds has been scrapped – instead only going up to the East Midland Parkway station in Nottinghamshire.

Instead of HS2’s new lines, ‘upgraded’ trains will run along an electrified Midland Main Line to Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield.

A proposed line between Manchester and Leeds, which would have served Bradford too, has also been cancelled.

A Northern Powerhouse Rail train will travel between Manchester and Leeds in future, instead.

The replacement measures are detailed in the Department for Transport’s Integrated Rail Plan – and include upgrades to the East Coast Main Line covering Yorkshire and the North East.

How long will HS2’s travel times be?

The very earliest we could have a HS2 high-speed line up and running is by 2029 – so it’s a way off before we have exact travel times.

However, here are the expected travel times for the HS2 routes that are planned to go ahead…

London to Birmingham: It’s expected this journey will take 52 minutes instead of 81 minutes (one hour, 21 minutes).

London to Crewe: 56 minutes will be the new time, down from 90 minutes (one hour, 30 minutes).

London to Wigan: Currently, it takes 115 minutes (almost two hours) to get to Wigan from London by train. With HS2, it should take 91 minutes (one hour, 31 minutes).

Birmingham to Wigan : It’ll take 36 minutes to Wigan from Birmingham, rather than 82 minutes (one hour, 22 minutes).

London to Manchester: It’ll take just over an hour (63 minutes to be exact) to get from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly if all goes to plan with HS2. Right now, it takes 144 minutes (two hours, 24 minutes).

And the routes that aren’t to be, judging by the recent announcement…

London to Leeds: With HS2, travel time was expected to drop to 81 minutes (one hour, 21 minutes) vs the 133 minutes (two hours, 13 minutes) it currently takes.

Birmingham to Leeds: With HS2, travel time was due to drop to 46 minutes, instead of the current travel time of 117 minutes (almost two hours).

Manchester to Leeds: If a new high-speed line is put in place between these two northern cities, travel time could be halved from 50 minutes to 25 minutes per journey. The Integrated Rail Plan says a Northern Powerhouse Rail between the two cities will take 33 minutes.

What will HS2’s maximum speed be?

While HS2 will likely continue to be controversial, if all goes to plan: it will be fast.

The maximum speed is expected to be 225mph, which is 100mph quicker than today’s standard trains.

For example, the newest LNER train, the Azuma , can reach speeds of up to 125mph while in action.

MORE : It’s time to scrap HS2 before it causes any more damage

MORE : Tories deny breaking election pledges after HS2 changes ‘could doom the North’

MORE : Single mother sold ‘forever home’ to make way for now cancelled HS2 line

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HS2 explained: What is the route now, what are the costs and why is the Manchester leg being axed?

The story of HS2 is becoming a sorry saga, when it was intended to be a symbol of the future which would transform public transport between London and the North. Sky News takes a look at the original plans, the delays and the spiralling costs.

Business reporter @taaffems

Thursday 5 October 2023 17:38, UK

HS2 was touted as the UK's biggest infrastructure project and supposed to transform public transport between London, the Midlands and the North.

But it has become synonymous with political football, disappointment, delays and spiralling costs.

The government's decision to axe the northern leg is the latest blow to the project.

This shrinks the route significantly, with passengers only able to go between London and Birmingham on the high-speed rail - rather than all the way north to Manchester.

Here, Sky News looks at the original proposed HS2 route, how it has changed, the spiralling costs of the project and what will replace the Birmingham-Manchester high speed line.

What is HS2 and why were the plans made?

HS2 was supposed to form 330 miles of high-speed rail network, initially intended to link London and the West Midlands, stretching to Birmingham, with a further phase extending to Crewe, Manchester and Leeds in the North.

It was first mooted by the Labour government in 2009 and it was hoped the increase in capacity would be a boost for connectivity between major cities.

Supporters said it would enable intercity trains currently operated by Avanti West Coast to be taken off the West Coast Main Line, creating more space for stopping services and freight trains.

Another improvement would be reduced journey times.

HS2's inception followed the development of HS1, the high-speed line between London and Kent connecting the UK to routes on the European continent.

The aim was to run 18 trains an hour in each direction to and from London - at speeds of up to 224mph - compared to between two and six an hour on Europe's high-speed railways.

Why is the Manchester leg being axed?

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The project has been beset by delays and rising costs, with some estimates now putting the price tag at more than £180bn, a figure that's continuously risen from the 2019 estimate.

In 2019 costs were put at around £100bn.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the "economic case" for HS2 had "massively weakened with the changes to business travel post-COVID".

"I say, to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed," he told the Tory Party conference.

"So I am ending this long-running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project."

How much was it supposed to cost?

The original bill - at 2009 prices - was supposed to be £37.5bn.

At the time of the 2010 election, when David Cameron said his government would publish plans for a high-speed rail, £20bn was committed for rail infrastructure.

By January 2012, when the broad route of the proposed scheme was in place, this had risen to £32.6bn.

In June 2013, the coalition government increased the overall cost to £42.6bn and in November 2015, when the figures were updated, in line with inflation, to £55.7bn.

The Department for Transport's latest estimate in 2021 had spiralled even higher, to between £72bn and £98bn.

But Lord Berkeley, former deputy chairman of the government's independent review into the project, said it could climb to £107bn.

As of June, the total spent so far was £24.7bn (at 2019 prices).

Read more: Irony of PM's long-term vision is short-term calculation behind it - analysis What's next for transport in the north?

What was the route going to be?

Stations on the first phase of the line are meant to be London Euston, Old Oak Common in west London, Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street.

The second phase was meant to see trains head northwest to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly, or use existing lines via Wigan, Crewe and Stafford.

The route had also been planned to go northeast from Birmingham towards the East Midlands Hub at Toton.

From there, before the eastern extension was cancelled, the trains were due to continue on the HS2 line to Leeds, with others diverging onto existing lines via Chesterfield and York.

The original plans were:

• Phase 1: London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street, with intermediate stations at Old Oak Common in the western suburbs and at Birmingham Airport • Phase 2a: To extend the line from Fradley in the West Midlands to Crewe in Cheshire • Phase 2b: Comprised of an eastern leg from the West Midlands to the East Midlands and a western leg from Crewe to Manchester

How has it changed?

The eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds was reduced and will end in the East Midlands.

In March, it was confirmed construction between Birmingham and Crewe would be delayed by two years and that services may not enter central London until the 2040s.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced work at Euston would be paused for two years as costs were forecast to almost double to £4.8bn

Despite concerns the route would only stretch to Old Oak Common in west London, Mr Sunak has said it will run into London Euston - however, it is understood this will rely on private investment.

If enough money is not found, HS2 will permanently stop at Old Oak Common.

The rail line will stop in Manchester, but from Birmingham it will switch to use existing West Coast Mainline track - meaning it will not be high-speed.

What will replace the Birmingham-Manchester line?

Mr Sunak says the government will "reinvest every single penny" saved from cancelling the HS2 route, which he said amounts to £36bn.

This money will go towards funding "hundreds of new transport projects" in the North and the Midlands

"Every region outside of London will receive the same or more government investment than they would have done under HS2 with quicker results," Mr Sunak pledged.

He said this includes:

• Being able to get from Manchester to a new station in Bradford in 30 minutes • Being able to get from Manchester to Sheffield in 42 minutes • Being able to get from Manchester to Hull to 84 minutes, all on a "fully electrified line" • Protection of £12bn funding to link up Liverpool and Manchester • Build the Leeds tram and Midlands rail hub • Expansion for the West Midlands metro system • Upgrades to the A1, A2, A5 and M6 • Funding for the Shipley bypass and Blyth relief road, as part of 70 road schemes • Resurfacing of roads "across the country"

Where did the idea for HS2 all begin?

In 2009, under Labour transport secretary Geoff Hoon, the government set up a company, HS2 Ltd, to look at proposals for a new high-speed line.

The following year, the Department for Transport (DfT) set out plans for a Y-shaped network connecting London and the cities in the North.

Later, under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, it was confirmed that the line would be built in two phases.

Phase 1 would run from London to the West Midlands, beginning in 2026. That's been pushed back to between 2029 and 2033. Euston Station is not due to open until 2035.

Phase 2, extending from the West Midlands to cities in the North, was meant to start in 2032-33. But that was moved to any time from 2034 and 2041, before decisions to scrap it.

Why did HS2 fall so behind schedule?

By July 2019, the government accepted that the timetable was no longer feasible and has continued to change opening times.

Reasons for the delay included a year spent revising cost and schedule estimates for phase 1 and more time being needed for construction at various sites.

In August 2019, the government announced an independent review of the programme to advise on whether to proceed.

And in March of this year the government announced more construction would be delayed by two years to save money.

The COVID-19 pandemic probably didn't help with progress, either.

In a written ministerial statement earlier this year, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government is "prioritising HS2's initial services" between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham Curzon Street.

Why have the costs risen so much?

In one word: inflation.

A report in January 2020 by the National Audit Office (NAO) - the spending watchdog - said HS2 Ltd had not accounted for the level of uncertainty and risk in the plans.

It used a method for calculating how much extra might be needed "that was not appropriate for a programme at such an early stage of development".

Among the factors causing higher costs were commitments to increase the length of tunnelling and to erect noise barriers.

The NAO said the government and HS2 Ltd had "not adequately managed risks to taxpayer money".

More money was needed for building bridges, tunnels and stations than first thought.

Complex issues involving the discovery of asbestos and archaeological remains, and the need to divert more gas and power lines than expected, have caused problems too.

More money was also needed to buy properties to make way for the rail line.

Even after these have been accounted for, there is uncertainty around the cost of extending London's Euston station to accommodate the high-speed trains.

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How much could HS2 cost and what is at stake?

From spiralling costs to route changes – here’s a breakdown of the numbers

Keeping track of HS2 is not an easy job, with costs spiralling, delivery dates slipping and routes changing since it was first proposed by Gordon Brown’s Labour government in 2010.

It was originally envisaged as a Y-shaped network which would go from London Euston to Birmingham, with two spurs to Manchester and Leeds. Every prime minister since Brown – David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss – supported HS2, though in 2021 under Johnson’s government the Leeds leg was axed . Rishi Sunak – whose North Yorkshire constituency will not benefit from the current plans – now has to decide whether to scrap the Manchester leg.

Here are some numbers to help you understand how the project has changed, and what is at stake.

£30bn – The original estimated cost of Hs2, including spurs to Manchester and Leeds, when proposed by Brown’s government in March 2010

£44.6bn - The current projected cost of HS2 phase one (2019 prices) – London Euston to Birmingham

2033 - The date for HS2’s full completion, when first voted through parliament by MPs in 2013

140 miles of track - The only bit of Hs2 that is under construction and guaranteed to be finished, from Old Oak Common in west London to Birmingham

2029-2033 - When the London to Birmingham leg will actually open to passengers

6 miles – The distance from Old Oak Common to Euston, HS2’s original London terminus

£4.8bn – The estimated cost of building HS2 from Old Oak Common to Euston

15 minutes – The time it takes to walk from Birmingham Curzon Street Hs2 stop to Birmingham New Street, the main rail interchange in the Midlands

30,000 – The number of jobs supported by the construction of HS2, including close to 1,300 apprenticeships

2,700 - The number of weekend closures over 15 years that would be needed in order to upgrade existing lines instead of building the first phase of HS2 – according to HS2

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£24,000 – The compensation offered to homeowners who live within 180 metres of the HS2 route

1 hour 11 minutes - New journey time between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston if HS2 is built in full to the north-west. The current fastest journey time is 2 hours 5 minutes

41 minutes - New journey time between Manchester and Birmingham on HS2, down from 1 hour 27 minutes

225mph – The top speed of the new HS2 trains

200 metres - The length of each HS2 train, with the option to couple two units together to create a 400-metre long train

1,100 seats - The number of seats on a double HS2 train

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More on this story

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Mayor says 21-mile cycleway alongside HS2 route a ‘no-brainer’ for West Midlands

Peaky Blinders creator calls HS2 ‘gamechanger’ for West Midlands

Mayors put forward alternatives to HS2 scrapped northern section

HS2: true cost of London-Birmingham line is more like £66bn, boss admits

How HS2 waste clay could be conjured into concrete to cut emissions

List of projects to be funded by HS2 money ‘only illustrative’, Sunak says

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How much time will HS2 save? Northern leg axed by PM

A wave of disappointment is being felt across the North of England after the Government axed the HS2 development beyond Birmingham .

People north of Birmingham, in cities including Manchester and Leeds, will now need to rely on regional train services instead of gaining access to the high-speed line that will connect travellers further south.

Those hoping that the HS2 line could also provide an overall economic boost with benefits all across the country will similarly feel disheartened by the announcement.

Confirming the news at the Conservative Party Conference, held in one of the cities impacted by his decision, Rishi Sunak said: “I say, to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed. And the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction.

“So I am ending this long-running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project.”

Instead, the North has been promised investments in several regional projects.

The development, which has reportedly eaten a £106 billion hole in the pockets of UK coffers and investors, will now operate on a minimised line between Birmingham and London, reportedly saving travellers a mere 36 minutes.

It’s still expected to take several years before it opens to the public. When it does, it’ll be considerably shorter than initially planned.

The only part of HS2 that is now guaranteed is Birmingham to Old Oak Common — a London hub.

The news has been met with a mixed response, but some representatives in the North suggested that it was another “betrayal”. West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said it was “yet another betrayal of the North which will punish passengers and businesses alike”.

Former chancellor Lord Philip Hammond told The Times: “It’s an economic mistake [to scrap it]. People said we shouldn’t build the Jubilee Line extension and yet that’s transformed the economics of London.

“We’ve already spent £40 billion [on HS2]. That money’s sunk. The cost-benefit economics strongly point to completing the project. Do we just throw it away and create a white elephant, or press on with a project that will have transformative value for the economy?”

HS2: Investing in smaller transport schemes will not solve ‘core issue’ – expert

Burnham blasts Tories as HS2 plans hit buffers

‘Ludicrous’ decision not to protect land on axed HS2 routes

Lord Patrick McLoughlin, a former transport secretary and chairman of Transport for the North, added: “The most expensive part of the route between London and Birmingham has already been built and, if you stop there, you will get most of the costs but with a fraction of the benefit.”

Many supporters of HS2 say the main benefit will be increased capacity as it will enable intercity trains currently operated by Avanti West Coast to be taken off the West Coast Main Line, creating more space for stopping services and freight trains.

Another improvement will be reduced journey times, although that is predicted to be negligible.

The HS2 route plan

How much time will HS2 save?

According to figures shared by The Times, HS2 will save people travelling between London and Birmingham around 36 minutes. The other routes, which have since been cancelled, could have saved travellers more than an hour on their trips.

The following figures were provided by the Department for Transport and reprinted in The Times.

How long will it be until HS2 is finished?

The first HS2 services will run between Birmingham Curzon Street and Old Oak Common in London between 2029 and 2033, according to the HS2 website .

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• Local transport

PM confirms HS2 will go ahead alongside revolution in local transport

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirms HS2 will go ahead, alongside radical improvements to local transport networks across the country.

• HS2 will go ahead to deliver essential North-South connectivity, greater capacity and shorter journey times, with construction for Phase 1 from London to the West Midlands set to begin in April
• Decision comes alongside new investment for vital local transport links as PM sets out his vision to overhaul the UK’s transport network, including £5 billion to improve bus and cycle links outside London, as well as vital upgrades to local roads
• PM commits to accelerating progress on Northern Powerhouse Rail with an integrated plan to maximise benefits of rail investments across the North, informed by an assessment from the National Infrastructure Commission
• Reform package will improve governance at HS2 Ltd to ensure project is delivered better and more efficiently

HS2 will go ahead alongside radical improvements to local transport networks all across the country, the PM confirmed today.

In a statement to Parliament he set out that after careful consideration of the independent Oakervee review, the decision has been taken to proceed with HS2. With the right reforms in place, HS2 will become the spine of the country’s transport network, bringing our biggest cities closer together, boosting productivity and rebalancing opportunity fairly across the country.

Alongside this, the PM outlined his vision for a revolution in local transport to ensure that towns and cities in every region have the modern, joined up network needed to fire up economic growth.

A multibillion pound package to transform buses and cycling will deliver at least 4,000 new Zero Emission buses, higher frequency services (including evenings and weekends), more affordable, simpler fares, and new priority schemes to make routes more efficient. The £5 billion in new funding will also help build over 250 miles of new, high quality separated cycle routes, and dozens of ‘Mini-Holland’ schemes to make town centres safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

The PM also pledged further upgrades for local connections including:

• Cutting congestion and boosting the local road network across the country by accelerating local schemes to the next stage of development, from Hartlepool and Cheadle in the North to Melksham to Salisbury in the South West
• Upgrading Bristol East Junction station to tackle a major pinch point in the South West rail network, so that passengers can travel in and out of Bristol more easily
• Taking forward work to improve the A1 north of Newcastle, strengthening the link to the Scottish Border

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Delivering better, faster and more reliable transport connections is the way to close the opportunity gap across this country. But it is not and never will be an ‘either/or’ between big projects and local services. Dramatic improvements to local transport and the decision to proceed with HS2 will shift this country’s centre of gravity away from the capital and transform connectivity between our towns and cities. I am drawing a clear line under the mismanagement of the past – HS2 must be delivered more efficiently and cost-effectively so that communities feel its benefits more quickly, particularly those in the North.

Douglas Oakervee’s independent review into HS2 has today been published in full. After thorough analysis of the benefits and impacts of the project, work on Phase 1 (the route between London and Birmingham) is set to start in April. Government will revive the legislation to deliver Phase 2a (connecting Birmingham to Crewe) as soon as possible so that preparation works can move forward.

The Prime Minister told Parliament that he is committed to Phase 2b of the project, extending high-speed rail from the West Midlands to the North. In order to work out how best to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail and Phase 2b more effectively, government will draw up an integrated plan for rail in the North, informed by an assessment from the National Infrastructure Commission.

This will work to identify the most effective sequencing of all relevant investments in the north, and look at how the two schemes can work together alongside wider investment in transport for the North and Midlands. It will also have a focus on ensuring that lessons are learned from Phase 1 of HS2 to drive down costs.

Recognising that better East-West connections are a priority for local leaders, the Government will look at how best to accelerate the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail, including looking at options for a new delivery body. The decision to proceed with HS2 is accompanied by a clear commitment to drawing a line under past failures of leadership, transparency and cost control, and a recognition that to go forward, things must change.

The PM outlined a number of measures to instil discipline and financial order to the project, including:

• Appointing a dedicated minister with specific oversight and accountability for HS2
• Redefining HS2 Ltd’s role so that they can give maximum focus to successfully delivering Phase 1 and 2a, and making new delivery arrangements for Euston station and the design and construction of Phase 2b, to ensure better value for money and on time delivery
• Improved transparency through regular reports to Parliament from the responsible minister

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

I’ve been clear that we needed all the facts to decide the way forward with HS2. Fully informed by a comprehensive and detailed scrutiny of all the facts, now is the time to drive HS2 forward, alongside a ‘High Speed North’ plan to give the North and Midlands the capacity and connectivity it vitally needs. We are also clear that the project must reform and improve, with clearer accountability and transparency to ensure its incredible benefits are matched by a tight control of costs. Our vision for increasing opportunity and prosperity across every part of our country doesn’t stop with HS2. We achieve that not only through investing in critical national projects to transform journeys in the future, but delivering on the vital connections people rely on today to ensure no community is left behind.

Douglas Oakervee, Chair of the independently-led review into HS2, said:

I am proud of the work that the Review Panel has carried out. The Review’s Report is a comprehensive appraisal of a challenging project. I believe the recommendations help offer it a way forward, a means of increasing scrutiny and oversight, protecting the interests of passengers and taxpayers, and rebuilding confidence in an important piece of critical national infrastructure which will do much to rebalance the economy. I am delighted that a decision on the project has been made, and it is now the job of the government to take this ambitious project forward.

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Hs2 journey times.

A topical resource that requires students to interpret a news infographic and calculate the difference between two times. There is also a second question for Level 2 learners on Speed, Distance, Time. As well as enabling students to practise time calculations it can lead to discussion about this controversial rail project.

Editor's notes

Really topical and interesting. With curriculum mapping. No answer sheet.

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Where will HS2 stop? The new route map explained after the Manchester leg of the rail project is cancelled

Once upon a time, hs2 was meant to run high-speed from london to manchester and leeds - i explains how it has shrunk.

Rishi Sunak’s decision to axe the northern leg of HS2 is yet another scaling-back of the multi-billion pound project.

Under the new plans, high-speed trains will only run between London and Birmingham, before switching over to the existing West Coast Main Line between Birmingham and Manchester.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper defended the decision on Thursday, insisting that “saving the £36bn we were due to spend” on HS2 would allow the Government to “[invest] every penny” in alternative transport projects.

But experts have told i that the new route could lead to rising fares and even fewer trains, as the West Coast Main Line does not have the capacity for an increase in passengers.

Once upon a time, HS2 was meant to run high-speed all the way from London to both Manchester and Leeds.

Here we explain what the revised high-speed route will look like, and how the project has changed – and shrunk – over the years.

Phase 1: London to Birmingham

The only remaining “high-speed” leg of HS2 will run from London Euston, through a new rail hub at Old Oak Common in west London, then on to Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street. This is where HS2 trains will join the West Coast Main Line for the journey to Manchester.

Major HS2 factory facing closure... before it can make a single HS2 train

This phase is scheduled to open between 2029 and 2033. Mr Harper said that the Government had already spent £20bn on this section, and construction of the line is under way in parts of London, Warwickshire, and Buckinghamshire.

It had been suggested that the Government could scrap plans for HS2 to run from London Euston over cost concerns, and instead terminate at Old Oak Common. But in his speech on Wednesday, Mr Sunak confirmed that the line would start and finish at the station, although the project would no longer be run by HS2 management.

Phase 2a: Birmingham to Crewe

Phase two, which has now been scrapped , was in two parts, 2a and 2b, and ended in Manchester.

Phase 2a would have seen a high-speed line running from Lichfield in the West Midlands to Crewe, before services joined up with the existing network so passengers could travel on to Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle, and Glasgow.

Phase 2b: Crewe to Manchester

The high-speed line from Crewe to Manchester will no longer go ahead. It had already been delayed: in March 2023, the Government said that the Birmingham and Crewe leg would be delayed by two years to cut costs. Ministers had previously said the line was “on track” to be completed between 2030 and 2034.

What else has been cut?

In 2021, the Government announced that the eastern leg of HS2, connecting Manchester to Leeds, would not be built.

Grant Schapps, the then transport secretary, said at the time that the planned link to Manchester would instead stop at an existing East Midlands station. As part of the announcement, ministers pledged that the existing TransPennine route would be improved.

The Government estimated that scaling back the eastern route of HS2 would save around £18bn.

How will journey times be affected?

Scrapping the northern leg of HS2 will mean some of the time savings on the route will be lost. Here are the time savings that were expected before the announcement to axe the northern leg.

• London-Birmingham   (phase 1) : Down from one hour 21 minutes to 45 minutes – time saving of 36 minutes. This phase is still going ahead.
• London-Manchester : Down from two hours six minutes to one hour 41 minutes with completion of phase 1 – saving of 25 minutes. Phase 1 is still going ahead. On completion of phase 2b, it would have gone down further to one hour 11 minutes. This phase has been axed.
• Birmingham-Manchester : On completion of phase 2b, journey times would have gone down from one hour 26 minutes to 41 minutes. They will remain unchanged – this phase has been axed.

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TRAINS FOR HS2 TECHNICAL SPEC HAS ITS MOMENTS

While not in the IEP league, this sighting shot raises the odd eyebrow

Published with the start of the HS2 rolling stock procurement process, the Pre-Qualification Technical Summary (PQTS) occupies a modest 38 pages, of which 16 are devoted to performance, five to functionality and four to interiors. The specification covers the 60 or so Conventional Compatible Very High Speed Trains (CCVHST) that will spend a fair proportion of their working life running on the West Coast main line when they enter service from 2026.

Readers will note that, as always, I have spelled out that last abbreviation. But throughout the specification HS2 refers to the ‘TMM’, assuming we all know what it means. Call me pedantic, but long experience in this acronym and abbreviation-rich industry has taught to expect gently chiding correspondence from readers if I spray TLAs around without elucidation (TLA? - Ed) .

Three Letter Acronym. So a hint of sloppiness early on. But a quick check with the associated notice in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) revealed that TMM stands for Train Manufacturer and Maintainer.

One TLA that is explained is CRN, for Conventional Rail Network. This aligns with Conventional Compatible.

Let’s start with the main characteristics of the new railway. It is being designed for a maximum speed of at least 360km/h (225 mile/h). The European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 will be fitted throughout and Automatic Train Operation (ATO) will be standard.

Construction will be to GC and GI2 gauges, with a nominal platform height of 1,115mm. HS2 had been trying to persuade the European Railway Agency to adopt a UK special of 1,100-1,200mm in addition to the standard 550mm and 750mm specified in the Infrastructure Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI) plus the GB-specific case of 915mm.

The addition of the 1,200mm height was opposed by the Community of European Railways on the grounds that, if it was in the TSI, mainland operators might decide to use it, wrecking cross-border interoperability. Why such a high platform? HS2 claims that it is necessary to provide level access with the vehicle floor-height needed to accommodate the larger wheel diameter predicated by 360km/h running.

With CRN platforms built to a nominal height of 915mm, ‘but with significant variation’, the CCVHST is going to present an interesting challenge for the door designers.

Long tunnels under the Chilterns and London suburbs will be single bore and smaller than tunnels on other high-speed lines. Micro pressure-wave mitigation will be incorporated into tunnel portals.

Some ‘particular’ features of the CRN are noted. Colour light signals are protected by Automatic Warning System (AWS) and Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS), although ‘European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 may be fitted during the life of the rolling stock’. Given that the service life is specified at 35 years, that takes us out to Control Period 13.

Compared with the constant 5.08m height of the HS2 overhead line electrification contact wire, the height of the wire on the CRN is described with masterly understatement as ‘variable’. Pantograph compatibility is likely to be another interesting issue.

Maximum linespeeds are quoted as ‘up to’ 125 mile/h on the East Coast main line (ECML) and 110 mile/h on the West Coast (WCML). The latter is qualified as ‘assuming no tilt’ although ‘linespeeds may be raised in the future through infrastructure works and resignalling’ (‘Informed Sources’, June).

Given the lack of funding for enhancements on the CRN in Control Period 6 (2019-24), plus the fact that any enhancements funding available must go to the ECML if the step-up in paths essential to the 2022 timetable is to be achieved, CCVHSTs could be limited to 110 mile/h in 2026.

And note that despite being described as a ‘technical document’, I have corrected those imperial speed abbreviations from the ‘mph’ that is used throughout. Am I being overly pedantic? No, in a technical document I find this lack of rigour irritating.

Demonstrating the trains’ compatibility with the infrastructure will be the responsibility of the TMM. This will be interesting on both HS2 and the CRN.

As noted previously, the 360km/h ‘anticipated’ maximum speed exceeds the technical scope of the relevant Technical Specification for Interoperability, which assumes that 350km/h is fast enough. Some consultants are going to make a lot of money extrapolating specifications to allow for that extra 10km/h. Incidentally, a leading European overhead line equipment (OHLE) supplier for high-speed lines told me recently that above 320km/h the maintenance needed increases not with speed squared but ‘exponentially’. ‘Every extra 1km/h makes a difference’, he warned.

As for the CRN, HS2 Ltd is working with Network Rail to agree interface requirements that will be incorporated into the Train Technical Specification (TTS). While compliance with these requirements ‘will support compatibility with the CRN’, the TMM will remain responsible for gaining formal agreement with Network Rail.

Talking of acceptance, at the suppliers’ day the potential TMMs were told ‘once we’ve actually got a train to work with, we’ll need to carry out extensive off-network testing to prove the capability and reliability of the design before we take anything onto the new high-speed network or our conventional network for real’. That raises the interesting question of where do you prove the capability and reliability of a 360km/h train off the network?

PERFORMANCE

There are three sets of performance parameters in the PQTS that apply to both a 200m unit or two units running in multiple (404m long).

In line with current procurement techniques a journey time is specified, rather than a maximum speed. Two journeys are identified.

For London Euston-Birmingham Curzon Street the journey time is less than 45min 30sec, including stops at Old Oak Common and Birmingham Interchange stations with a two-minute dwell time at each. This represents an operational margin over the timetabled 49-min journey time.

Similarly, between London Euston and Glasgow Central via the Handsacre Junction connection with the WCML the time must be less than 3hr 45min 30sec. The PQTS notes that the journey times for two units in multiple on the CRN are still under consideration. It adds, ‘a train current limit of 300A will constrain achievable journey times for longer formations and (HS2) is therefore investigating whether the maximum line current can be increased for the CRN’. The current limit on HS2 is 1,070A.

Braking for this purpose will be the ‘ATO Maximum Brake Rate’ shown in Table 4. Maximum adhesion is assumed to be 15%.

PULLING AWAY

Acceleration is the second performance parameter, with several scenarios specified. The basic requirement is for a train to reach a speed of 360km/h and cover a distance of 40km in no more than 535 seconds from a standing start on straight and level track.

Two other acceleration tests are 200km/h to 360km/h, also over a distance of 40km, in no more than 450 seconds. And 230km/h to 360km/h, in no more than 440 seconds, while covering 40km.

However, the PQTS notes that this level of acceleration will not be required until the Phase 2 timetable is introduced with its 18 trains per hour and the need to slot into the traffic in the core section of the HS2 network.

Braking is specified in terms of deceleration in m/s2. I find a percentage of the force of gravity easier to appreciate. Cant deficiency can be expressed in the same way, so the maximum lateral acceleration you should feel when curving at Enhanced Permissible Speeds is 6%g. Similarly a full service brake application with IC125 is 9%g.

I have added the %g equivalent in the two tables. Table 4 is the ‘ATO Maximum Brake Rate’ referred to above and Table 5 the ‘ATO Normal Brake Rate’.

A unit should be able to regenerate 100% of the energy from braking, after losses, at the ATO Normal Brake Rate. However, the braking performance in Table 4 must also be achievable without relying on the regenerative braking. Cue some very hot brake pads after the acceptance test.

There will be a contractual energy consumption limit to be agreed between the TMM and HS2 with incentives to reduce consumption applied through the whole-life value evaluation model in the contract. This will be based on the standard Euston-Curzon Street 49-min run, with two stops, measured over a return journey.

Energy, measured at the pantograph, will include traction, auxiliary and heating, ventilation and air conditioning loads net of regenerated energy. Energy consumed during terminal station turnrounds is excluded.

HS2’s business case is based on an assumed energy consumption of 22.6 kWh/unit-km. That figure is meaningless unless you know the duty. But to give it some context I have raided Professor Roger Kemp’s 2007 paper for the Rail Safety & Standards Board (Table 6).

THAT SARDINE MOMENT

ID: PQTS-119 – Maximum Route Availability (§7.10.3) The Unit shall not exceed Route Availability of RA7 calculated in accordance with GE/RT8006[22]. For this calculation, exceptional payload shall include a standing passenger loading of 320kg/m².

Rationale: A payload of 320kg/m² is specified by GE/RT8006, and is separate from the Exceptional Payload used for other performance characteristics.

RF notes: Elsewhere the average passenger weight, including luggage, is given as 90kg. So HS2 is assuming full and standing loadings of 3.5 passengers per m2.

Running through the table, the first Pendolino column is measured consumption on a London-Manchester run but before the Virgin High Frequency timetable was introduced. Hard driving was not required. In contrast column 2, using modelled performance data, has an 11-car Class 390 running to the accelerated timetable, over the same route.

There are various modelled data for IC225 quoted in the Kemp paper. Roger Kemp also refers to an Association of Train Operating Companies study that gave the average for the IC225 electric fleet of 1.151kWh per vehicle kilometre. Counting the loco as a ‘vehicle’, this gives 17.7kWh/unit-km.

Bearing in mind that only the nine-car Class 390 figure is ‘real world’, readers may care to ponder why a Class 91 with no recovery of braking energy has the same unit consumption as a Pendolino with regenerative braking. Intuitively I suspect this may be attributed to the relative lack of braking on the East Coast racing ground.

But it does raise the issue of how a CCVHST, albeit a shorter formation, going harry flatters at 360km/h, can match the energy consumption of a Class 390 or IC225. I suspect we shall have to wait for the Train Technical Specification to see the route and speed profile generating such frugality.

Note that I have also included the Alstom AGV, which HS2 has used for the ‘reference train’ in developing the business case.

CROSS-SECTION

HS2 is flexible on gauging, a sensible move since a variety of vehicle configurations may emerge. Two reference vehicle gauges will be provided, for 23m and 25m vehicles with 16m and 17m bogie spacings. However a minimum internal cross-section for the passenger saloon will be specified.

Provided that these minimum internal dimensions are maintained, tenderers will be able to propose an alternative vehicle gauge. Possible changes could reflect running gear arrangement, static profile or vehicle length.

An interesting concept floated by HS2 is the ability to match the train to different duties. The 49-min London-Birmingham dash and 3hr 30min for London-Glasgow are instanced. Ideally, says HS2, the interior design would be adaptable ‘to support changes in use during the week or even during a single day’.

Other examples of spaces that can adapt to different user needs include accommodating business travellers in the week and families and groups of leisure travellers at weekends. Similarly, providing space for ‘bulky luggage on a Sunday evening without sacrificing seats on Monday morning’.

While we’re on interiors, a thoughtful touch is the specification of minimum door widths at 900mm, 100mm more than the Passengers with Reduced Mobility TSI. The PQTS notes 800mm is considered insufficient for manual wheelchair users as it allows only 50mm per side for the user’s hands. 900mm is also required for a person using crutches or a walking frame.

RELIABILITY

This is really going to make the bidders sweat, or get the lawyers smiling. HS2’s reliability target gives a moving annual average (MAA) delay per service ‘on the HS2 Network’ of no greater than 30 seconds at destination.

That is for the railway as a whole. Train reliability assumes 60 units travelling 610-670,000km per year.

This gives a Mean Distance Between Failures (MDBF) causing a delay of over three minutes of at least 300,000km. Now the Golden Spanners awards are based on Miles Per Technical Incident (MTIN) and a TIN is generated when a train has stopped for three minutes.

So HS2 is looking for 186,000 MTIN. This compares with the current most reliable electric train on the network, the Siemens Class 444 Desiro, of 166,772 MTIN. Think on’t, as they say. It certainly rules out tilt, since nothing is so reliable as the system you don’t fit.

MDBF for a delay of over 60 minutes ‘and/or requiring detrainment and evacuation of passengers between stations’ is at least 4.3 million miles.

Reliability targets may also be specified for key components of the overall HS2 operation. Examples quoted are station stops that exceed the allocated dwell time due to a unit fault and transitions between HS2 and CRN similarly delayed.

Units may split or join mid-journey. Maximum coupling and separating time is two minutes. To minimise the impact on journey time, normal station operations will have to continue during this time.

That two minutes includes the time needed to re-configure systems into a single operational train and for the combined train to receive a movement authority. HS2 hopes that technology could allow safe and seamless automation of this process, ‘saving valuable minutes and making the service more intuitive for our customers’.

PASSENGER CAPACITY

HS2 is working on the basis of 528 seats in a 200m unit, split 80-85% standard, 20-15% first. In standard class, airline seating knee room for a 95th percentile male is 80mm, or 160mm for two 95th percentile males sitting opposite each other. For first class seating the clearances are 2,540mm and 500mm respectively. A 95th percentile male is 6ft 1in in old money.

I’LL HAVE THE KIPPERS PLEASE

PQTS-367 – RIL First Class Catering (§9.1.9) The Reference Interior Layout shall include facilities to prepare at-seat first class meals, cooked on-board.

Originally published in Modern Railways Magazine

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HS2 Project Update

The HS2 Project Update showcases how we continue to deliver Britain’s new high-speed railway.

Once operational, HS2’s British-built bullet trains will provide zero-carbon journeys between the UK’s two largest cities, Birmingham and London, with services continuing on to Manchester, the North West and Scotland using the conventional railway network, cutting journey times.

HS2 Project Update, January 2024

HS2 is preparing to enter a critical new phase with the development of state-of-the-art rail systems that will allow passengers to enjoy some of the world’s most reliable intercity train services.

HS2 Ltd is putting the finishing touches to a huge package of work that will eventually allow for the physical operation of the new high-speed railway between London and the West Midlands.

In 2024, we’ll let around £5 billion-worth of contracts to oversee building of the tracks, power, signalling, overhead lines and the railway’s new network control centre. They will be constructed to the highest standards to help create a new benchmark for speed and punctuality, ensuring passengers can rely on the service, even in the face of extreme weather.

Contracts will also cover a new telecom system that will allow travellers to experience uninterrupted phones calls and streaming along the entire route, including in tunnels.

The move marks a crucial turning point for the project, starting to bring the working railway to life, seven years after parliament officially gave HS2 the go-ahead.

Slide 1 of 9: The start of work on the first of 14 new platforms at the vast Old Oak Common rail hub in West London – the UK’s largest newly-built station.

Slide 2 of 9: Over 130,000 tonnes of soil has been removed to create Victoria Road Crossover Box – the same as 55 Olympic Sswimming pools.

Slide 3 of 9: Crossing the half-way point in construction of Colne Valley viaduct – the UK’s longest rail bridge at 2.1 miles when complete.

Slide 4 of 9: The piers for Wendover Dean Viaduct are coming out of the ground, as the team prepare to launch the first sections of the low-carbon deck in 2024.

Slide 5 of 9: The first of 72 massive “Lego block” beams have been lifted into place for our pioneering Thame Valley Viaduct – the first of its kind in the UK to have all major elements manufactured off site.

Slide 6 of 9: The completion of HS2’s first twin-bore tunnel beneath Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire.

Slide 7 of 9: Across 2023 we saw the first piers for the Water Orton and River Tame Viaducts completed, and the first of over 2,700 individually cast deck sections from our precast factory in Kingsbury, have started to be installed.

Slide 8 of 9: The launch of the first of two tunnel boring machines used to dig the Bromford tunnel, which will carry the line into Birmingham.

Slide 9 of 9: The first sections of the 300-metre-long Curzon Viaduct deck poured, that will bring high-speed trains into Birmingham's Curzon Street Station. Foundation works will begin at the 25-acre site in early 2024.

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Last updated:

27th Feb 2024