NOVEMBER 2018 | MANE RAIL & INFRASTRUCTURE |7
The main hub for the line will be Birmingham due to the cities location in the Midlands being fairly central to operations. The intercity changeover is due to be in the city as well as being one of few cities with more than one station.
Two national colleges for high speed rail have been opened to help young lives shape and build the future of high speed rail. One college launching in Doncaster, the other in Birmingham. The colleges opened their doors last September and are currently on their second influx of talent coming through the doors and have received many great reviews for their facilities from industry experts and visitors.
The future of HS2 in the short term is a lot of construction. There is a lot to build in this £56 billion pound project. Ideas for expansions are already being looked at including an ‘HS4 Air’ linking London Gatwick and Heathrow airports via rail.
The estimated completion date is set for 2 phases. Phase 1 from London to West Midlands is expected to be completed by 2026. Phase 2 is broken down into two phases. Phase 2a from West Midlands to Crewe should be opened not long after Phase 1 with an expectant date of 2027; whilst Phase 2b stretching from Crewe to Manchester and Leeds should be complete by 2033.
This no small project – and with the HS2 set to not be fully complete for another 15 years – high speed rail travel certainly has a platform to build on to show how great high speed rail travel could be.
CONCEPT IMAGES OF NEW STATIONS COMING SOON