HS2 – HS1 link back in the news

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HS2 is planning to have a twin-track connection with HS1, allowing trains from Birmingham and (later) Leeds and Manchester to connect directly with the continent.

That was the claim in press reports over the weekend. In fact, they also suggested an alternative option of a travelator link between Euston and St Pancras, meaning that passengers would still have to change trains and stations but could at least keep dry while doing so.

The original plans for HS1 contained a single-track low-speed link between the two railways, but this was scrapped shortly after Sir David Higgins took over at HS2 Ltd. However, observers always wondered if that was just so that it could be replaced by a faster, better link later.

In response, an HS2 spokesman said: “We are looking at options for a link between HS1 and HS2 but no conclusion has been reached as yet.” He dismissed the newspaper reports as “press speculation”.

4 COMMENTS

  1. This is like the whole of HS2 it keeps changing it’s mind with what it is & isn’t doing. One year there’s a link then the next thing you know there isn’t. What about Euston station? As yet how many different plans have there been for that? And all the time the cost for this White Elephant keeps going up.
    The original cost for the link from HS2 to HS1 was £500 million, I wonder what price tag they will put on it this time?

  2. This is one of those ballons sent up to test public opinion. The only thing it does is show the fossilised thinking of those who propose it.

    It is counterproductive to even think that there should be a connection between HS1 and the fast lines out of London(ECML, MML, WCML or any other which most probably would not get built). You would just be contributing to increased congestion in that bottleneck which is London.

    The second part of the problem is the lack of understanding of the logistical problems facing the Border Agency in separating Continental bound passengers from domestically destined ones. An illustration of this is the need for Eurostar passengers to disembark from London bound trains at Lille after travelling from the South of France.

    Other solutions are possible but not the same old ones dredged up.

    The infantile comment about passengers keeping dry when travelling from Euston to St.Pancras just shows the ignorance of the writer since there already exist two underground connections between the two stations, as well as from other mainline stations to St. Pancras. Quite a pathetic comment.

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