Work begins on controversial HS2 rail project

The formal start of constructing the controversial high-speed rail network HS2 railway has been announced this week (Friday 4 September) – with the promise of 22,000 jobs over the next few years.

High Speed 2 (HS2) is the proposed new high-speed railway directly connecting Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London, funded by UK taxpayers. HS2 is being designed to operate initially at 360 kilometres per hour, faster than any other train in the world.

Two new HS2 tracks to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly are expected to create space for additional train paths on the corridors to Crewe and Stockport, providing options for more frequent local or regional services. 

Earlier this year, on 15 April, the Department for Transport gave approval for HS2 Ltd to issue Notice to Proceed to the four Main Works Civils Contractors working on the project to commence full detailed design and construction of Phase One of the HS2 railway (the route from London – West Midlands).

HS2 is now expected to cost between £81 and £88 billion, up from the official £55.7 billion in 2015. The official review by the government earlier this year claimed costs could run over £100 billion. 

Mark Thurston, CEO of HS2 Ltd said: “This is a hugely exciting moment in the progress of HS2. After 10 years of development and preparatory work, today we can formally announce the start of full construction, unlocking thousands of jobs and supply chain opportunities across the project.

“We are already seeing the benefits that building HS2 is bringing to the UK economy in the short term, but it’s important to emphasise how transformative the railway will be for our country when operational. With the start of construction, the reality of high-speed journeys joining up Britain’s biggest cities in the North and Midlands and using that connectivity to help level up the country has just moved a step closer.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “HS2 is at the heart of our plans to build back better – and with construction now formally underway, it’s set to create around 22,000 new jobs.

“As the spine of our country’s transport network, the project will be vital in boosting connectivity between our towns and cities.

“But HS2’s transformational potential goes even further. By creating hundreds of apprenticeships and thousands of skilled jobs, HS2 will fire up economic growth and help to rebalance opportunity across this country for years to come.”

The move to construction has heralded a ‘jobs boom’ on the project, with construction partners confirming they will collectively recruit over 10,000 new jobs. HS2 Ltd itself is already directly recruiting for 500 new roles over the next three months, with the majority based in Birmingham, as the project moves into the construction phase.

However, critics say HS2 will cost jobs, as a 2018 report by HS2 Ltd says Phase One, 2A and 2B of the project would permanently displace almost 20,000 jobs, as well as causing environmental damage.

Joe Rukin, campaign manager of the Stop HS2 group, says presenting the project as a jobs’ creation scheme is “beyond desperate.”

He said: “Trying to spin HS2 as a job creation scheme is beyond desperate. Creating 22,000 jobs works out at almost two million pounds just to create a single job. Boris Johnson is rather less keen to mention the 19,590 jobs that HS2 will permanently displace.”

Speaking on the BBC's Breakfast programme, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps disputed those figures, saying: “I can't see how there's an argument that making it easier to get about this country is somehow going to destroy jobs, quite the opposite in fact. It's clearly going to make the economy level up.”

Chair of Stop HS2, Penny Gaines said the project was the “most environmentally destructive project this century”, threatening hundreds of wildlife sites and having a negative impact on carbon emissions for over 100 years.

She added: “This is why there are currently hundreds of activists camped out along the HS2 route, fighting to protect nature and we don’t expect them to go away any time soon.”