HS2 is not just a faster railway, but a reliable, high-capacity people mover that will serve eight out of ten of our largest cities and provide fast services between cities which are not currently well connected. It will be built, designed and run as a railway for everyone in Britain.
It will transform people’s journeys; it will take the strain from existing rail and road routes; and it will be quick, simple and comfortable to use. HS2 is forecast to carry up to 5.4 million passengers every year who might otherwise have travelled by air, as well as potentially seeing up to 9.8 million passengers transfer from the national road network. More freight trains using the space freed up on the existing rail network will reduce lorry traffic on the motorways and help improve air quality. And it will provide opportunities for development on under-used brownfield sites.
It will be designed with the best in British design and innovation in mind and an independent Design Panel will shape the look and feel of its structures and stations. On this page you can find out about:
Creating jobs
Phase One is expected to support the creation of up to 40,000 jobs in construction, station development and operation and maintenance. It is anticipated that Phase Two will support the creation of up to 60,000 more, as well as 5,350 houses.
Across the Phase Two route
Jobs in construction: 10,000
Operation and maintenance jobs: 1,400
Manchester
Station-supported employment: 30,000 jobs (Manchester Piccadilly 29,700; Manchester Airport 300)
Station-supported housing: 3,100 (Manchester Piccadilly)
Leeds
Station-supported employment: 19,700 (Leeds New Lane 13,200; Meadowhall 5,000; Toton 1,500)
Station-supported housing: 2,250 (Leeds New Lane 1,700; Meadowhall 400; Toton 150)
Costs and benefits
The cost of Government’s initial preferred route, station and depot options for Phase Two is estimated at around £16.8 billion, without the spur to Heathrow (if the spur is included the costs for Phase Two would rise to around £18.2 billion). This is above the January 2012 central estimate of £16.4 billion, but within the cost range that HS2 Ltd produced at that time of £15.7 billion to £18.7 billion.
The construction of the full network is expected to cost £33.1 billion (or £34.5 billion if the spur to Heathrow is included).
Value for money
The Government is committed to managing the cost of HS2 and to securing the maximum value for money. The latest available estimates suggest that HS2 will return around £2 worth of benefit for every £1 invested. In looking at the likely impacts on their economies, several of the cities to be served by Phase Two have estimated benefits substantially greater than this.
As with all major projects, the Government will continue to keep the value for money of HS2 under review. As a next step, an update of the economic case for HS2 will be published alongside the consultation on Phase Two preferred options in 2013.
Principal stations journey times
These tables show the projected journey times from London, Birmingham and Heathrow Airport (assuming no spur, via Old Oak Common interchange). For more detailed regional journey times for the towns and cities or near the line of route, you can download our regional factsheets.
Key journey times to/from London
| Destination | Current Journey Time (Mins) | HS2 Journey Time (Mins) | Intermediate Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Curzon Street | 84 | 49 | Old Oak Common/Birmingham Interchange |
| Birmingham Interchange | n/a | 38 | Old Oak Common |
| East Midlands Hub | n/a | 51 | Old Oak Common |
| Nottingham Midland (via East Midlands Hub) | 104 | 68 | Old Oak Common |
| Derby Midland (via East Midlands Hub) | 91 | 71 | Old Oak Common |
| Sheffield Meadowhall | n/a | 69 | Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange |
| Sheffield Midland (via Sheffield Meadowhall) | 125 | 79 | Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange |
| Leeds New Lane | 132 | 82 | Old Oak Common, East Midlands Hub |
| York | 113 | 83 | Old Oak Common |
| Newcastle | 172 | 138 | Old Oak Common, York |
| Manchester Piccadilly | 128 | 68 | Old Oak Common |
| Manchester Airport | 144 | 59 | Old Oak Common |
| Crewe | 90 | 58 | Old Oak Common |
| Preston | 128 | 84 | Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange |
| Liverpool | 128 | 96 | Old Oak Common, Crewe, Runcorn |
| Glasgow | 248 | 218 | Old Oak Common, Carstairs |
| Edinburgh | 263 | 218 | Old Oak Common, Carstairs |
Key journey times to/from Birmingham Curzon Street
| Destination | Current journey time (mins) | HS2 journey time (mins) | Intermediate stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Hub | n/a | 19 | |
| Nottingham Midland (via East Midlands Hub) | 73 | 36 | |
| Sheffield Meadowhall | n/a | 38 | East Midlands Hub |
| Sheffield Midland (via Sheffield Meadowhall) | 71 | 48 | East Midlands Hub |
| Leeds New Lane | 118 | 57 | East Midlands Hub, Sheffield Meadowhall |
| York | 130 | 63 | East Midlands Hub, Sheffield Meadowhall |
| Newcastle | 194 | 127 | East Midlands Hub, Sheffield Meadowhall, York, Darlington, Durham |
| Manchester Piccadilly | 88 | 41 | Manchester Airport |
| Manchester Airport | 104 | 32 | |
| Preston | 91 | 53 | Wigan North Western |
| Edinburgh | 241 | 194 | Wigan North Western, Preston, Oxenholme, Carlisle, Lockerbie |
| Glasgow | 237 | 202 | Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie |
Key journey times to/from Heathrow Terminal 5 (via Old Oak Common)
| Destination | Current journey time (mins) | HS2 journey time (mins) | Intermediate stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Interchange | 133 | 53 | |
| Manchester Piccadilly | 188 | 88 | Birmingham Interchange |
| Manchester Airport | 204 | 74 | Birmingham Interchange, Manchester Airport |
| East Midlands Hub | n/a | 70 | Birmingham Interchange |
| Sheffield Meadowhall | n/a | 89 | Birmingham Interchange, East Midlands Hub |
| Leeds New Lane | 192 | 108 | Birmingham Interchange, East Midlands Hub, Sheffield Meadowhall |
Further reading
For more detailed regional journey times, you can download our regional factsheets.
For full network facts and figures, including environmental effects and the effects of regeneration around the stations, please visit our Facts & Figures section.
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