History of High Speed 2
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The history of High Speed 2 is the background to the planned construction of High Speed 2 (HS2), a new high-speed railway in Great Britain that would connect London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and other cities in the UK.
This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. (December 2021) |
Construction was planned in two phases: Phase 1 would include the route from London to Birmingham, and Phase 2 would consist of a Y-shaped route north of Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds. Work on Phase 1 began in 2017,[1] and passenger services were planned to begin in 2026. Phase 2a to Crewe, on the first part of the western leg of the "Y", was due to start services in 2027, and the remainder of phase 2b by 2033.[2]
The route to Leeds was cancelled in November 2021, with the branch then expected to end at East Midlands Parkway railway station, south of Nottingham.[3] In June 2022 the link to the West Coast Main Line at Golbourne was cancelled.[4] In October 2023, the route to Manchester was cancelled, leaving the route from London to Birmingham (with a spur to the WCML near Lichfield) as the only extant element of the project.[5]