Latest news with #HS1
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
The new direct train line set to connect the UK to a European city for the first time
Plus, the new European rail service launching next year linking two major cities TRACK ON The new direct train line set to connect the UK to a European city for the first time Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Government has revealed plans for a new rail link between London and a new European country. The UK and Germany have joined forces to create a direct rail route to Berlin. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 There could soon be a direct rail route between the UK and Germany Credit: Getty 5 Berlin is known for its vibrant culture and top class beer Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The new direct train would allow both Brits and Germans a flight-free way of getting to each country. For Brits, this meant they could be exploring the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie "in just a matter of years", according to Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander. The secretary added: "This landmark agreement – part of a new treaty the Prime Minister will sign with Chancellor Merz today - has the potential to fundamentally change how millions of people travel between our two countries, offering a faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying. "A new task force will bring our nations closer together and create new opportunities for tourism, business and cultural exchange, building on a landmark deal we signed earlier this year to explore introducing direct services to Switzerland." The plans are also set to give the UK a big economic boost, with the creation of jobs and strengthened trade links. Alexander added: "This is central to our Plan for Change – breaking down barriers, thinking boldly about the future, and making long-term decisions that better connect Britain to the world. "Working with Germany, we're building bridges between our people and paving the way for a more sustainable, connected future." It has not been made clear where the new train service would depart from in London. Currently, St Pancras International is the only London station that provides direct international passenger trains, including ones that connect to Germany - via a change in Brussels. This is due to St Pancras being the terminus for High Speed 1 (HS1) - the only high-speed rail line in the UK that connects to the Channel Tunnel. The Sun reviews business class travel on the Eurostar 5 Currently, Brits need to change in Brussels to get to Germany Credit: Getty Berlin is known for its vibrant culture and top class beer, which includes Prater Garten, the city's oldest beer garden having first opened in 1837. Currently, St Pancras International is the only London station that provides direct international passenger train services, including those that connect (via a change in Brussels) to Germany. This is because St Pancras is the final station for High Speed 1 (HS1) - the only high-speed rail line in the UK that connects to the Channel Tunnel on the UK side. However, Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International stations both sit on the HS1 line. In theory, both of these places could handle international services. However, the Eurostar - which is the main operator through the Channel Tunnel - has not served these stations since the Covid-19 pandemic. 5 Services to Europe run from St Pancras International in London at the moment Credit: Getty Eurostar has also announced plans to create direct trains from London to Frankfurt in Germany and Geneva in Switzerland in the early 2030s - which would still likely depart from St Pancras International. A new high-speed line known as High Speed 2 (HS2) is under construction in the UK. Whilst the line will primarily be used for travel within the UK, such as linking London to the West Midlands, there have been some discussions about a link between HS1 and HS2. If this link were to be built, it could allow for direct international services from other parts of the UK via HS2. New European rail service A NEW European train service, launching next year, will connect Prague, Berlin, and Copenhagen, marking the first direct route between Prague and Copenhagen in a decade. Operated by Czech, German, and Danish rail companies, the service will primarily run twice daily. The journey from Prague to Copenhagen will take around 11hours - a duration expected to decrease with the completion of the Fehmarn Belt Undersea Tunnel. Onboard, passengers can enjoy a dining car, a children's cinema, and improved mobile signal. The ComfortJet trains will also offer space for bikes and be wheelchair accessible. This initiative is one of 10 pilot projects supported by the European Commission to enhance cross-border rail travel. The construction of HS2 is also behind schedule and the Government confirmed in June that the completion of the line would now be delayed beyond the target date of 2033. Plus, a gamechanger new budget train line is to launch from London next year.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
London station announces major expansion plans
The number of passengers using the Eurostar out of London St Pancras to reach the continent looks set to double, after an ambitious new deal between two major partners was announced today. Eurostar and London St. Pancras Highspeed, formerly HS1, signed a 'letter of intent' which could see one of Europe's busiest international stations - St Pancras International - vastly increasing the amount of passengers it can take. Architects have already been asked to take on the task of 'reimagining' the historic London hub so that it can 'future-proof' as the demand for cross-border travel continues to grow. Eurostar plans to increase its current fleet in the next decade, offering services to five countries, including France , Belgium, the Netherlands , Germany and Switzerland. The announcement sees a three-stage plan put in place, with the focus being on the redesigning of the international arrivals and departures area of the station by 2028. There will be investment in border control and security too, with hourly passenger numbers set to increase from around 2,500 now to 5,000 by the time the second stage of the three-part plan concludes in four years' time. The station currently welcomes some 45,000 Eurostar passengers every day, with research commissioned by London St Pancras Highspeed earlier this year concluding that demand looks set to triple by 2040, increasing from 11 million to 35 million passengers per year. London St Pancras Highspeed owns and operates the UK's only international high-speed rail link and the stations along the route including St Pancras International, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International. Eurostar currently has a fleet of 51 high-speed trains, serving 28 destinations across Europe. British tourists can currently reach Paris, Lille, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam on direct routes from London. New destinations Geneva and Frankfurt, coming in the early 2030s, are expected to be popular with business travellers as both cities are international finance centres. Andrew Davies, Partner & Transport & Infrastructure lead at architects Hawkins\Brown said the plans were trying to meet the need for 'affordable, high-speed, and sustainable journeys to and from Europe.' Richard Thorp, Chief Operating Officer at London St Pancras Highspeed said of the announcement: 'With growing passenger demand for international train travel, it is important that St Pancras International station is future-proofed and optimised to accommodate this. 'With a shared ambition and collaborative approach, we can ensure our iconic station is ready to support this demand, and we're looking forward to getting started on a new era of connectivity between London and Europe.' Last month, Eurostar announced plans to launch its direct train services from London to Switzerland and Germany. The train journey between London and Frankfurt is likely to take around five hours while the trip between London and Geneva is expected to take five hours and 20 minutes. Eurostar has said it expects to see strong demand from passengers travelling on both routes . The new routes will depend on a fleet of 50 new trains, expected to cost around £1.7bn (€2bn). The operator has yet to reveal which stops each route might include and whether passengers could get off along the way. CEO Gwendoline Cazenave says: 'We're seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide. 'Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future. 'Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality - notably direct trains between London and Germany and between London and Switzerland for the first time. 'A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here.' The new trains would also allow Eurostar to boost the frequency of existing routes. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says: 'I am pleased to welcome this exciting investment into Eurostar services, which is a huge step in promoting green travel across Europe and boosting our international rail connections.' In May, the UK signed a 'memorandum of understanding' with Switzerland where both countries committed to working together to launch a new direct train route between the two. In light of the new Eurostar announcement, Alexander adds: 'Last month, I signed a landmark agreement to deliver a direct rail link between London and Switzerland, paving the way for direct commercial services. 'Today's announcement by Eurostar shows that the government's plan for change is rapidly strengthening the links between major cities in counties across Europe, creating more opportunities to travel, work, and socialise.' Eurostar carried 19.5 million passengers in 2024, a rise of 5 per cent on traveller numbers in 2023.
The Star
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
News Analysis: Britain delays second high-speed railway construction, again
by Xinhua writers Zheng Bofei, Larry Neild LONDON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Britons won't be boarding their second high-speed railway -- High Speed 2 (HS2) -- before the 2030s, as the government confirmed on Wednesday that construction has been delayed until at least 2033. The delay stems from years of mismanagement and escalating costs, spanning from the tenure of the Conservative government to the current Labour administration. Sixteen years after HS2 was first proposed, Britain has yet to lay a single track for its long-planned rail line -- more than two decades after the country launched its first high-speed railway, HS1, which links London with the Channel Tunnel. The HS2 project was initially expected to cost 33 billion pounds (44.22 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012 and open by 2026. In a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that based on an interim report conducted by HS2 chief executive Mark Wild, "I see no route by which trains can be running by 2033 as planned." The report concluded that there was "no single root cause" behind the rising costs and delays at HS2 Ltd, but rather "an accumulation of issues over time." UNREALISTIC PLANNING When HS2 was first envisioned, the rail line was planned to connect London to Manchester and Leeds, linking major cities such as Birmingham as part of a broader route to the north of England. However, under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government, the plan was scaled back to only include the section from London to Birmingham. According to The Guardian, when the Department for Transport (DfT) set the Phase One budget in 2013, only a "basic design" existed. Poorly suited to early-stage planning, the proposal lacked sufficient contingency provisions. As a result, the projected cost soared to 55.7 billion pounds by 2015. One early miscalculation was the decision to route HS2 through the Chiltern Hills. Bowing to political pressure from local interests, the government added expensive tunnel segments in 2013, causing the budget to be reset to 50 billion pounds. In January 2020, the National Audit Office reported that HS2 was billions over budget and years behind schedule because the government had "failed to understand the risks" inherent in the project. Internal reviews by HS2 Ltd, the public company managing the project, found the full network could cost up to 88 billion pounds and might not be completed until 2040. Nevertheless, by late 2019, the government's funding envelope remained fixed at 56 billion pounds -- well below projected requirements, leaving a major shortfall. Chen Chai-Lin, senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool's Department of Geography and Planning, who has long studied high-speed rail development, told Xinhua: "It is an embarrassment to the country to have a project that was first announced 16 years ago, and Britain still relies on railway as its major transportation option." "To do a contract with the UK, all this uncertainty adds to the future project. I think we need to sit down and then try to reflect on this situation. What's the future for the UK?" said Chen. "APPALLING MESS" In her Wednesday address, Alexander described HS2 as an "appalling mess" -- a "litany of failure" that resulted in missed deadlines and cost increases of 37 billion pounds between 2012 and 2024. She confirmed the appointment of Mike Brown, former commissioner of Transport for London, as the new chair of HS2. Systemic management problems and weak governance have compounded delays over the past 16 years. HS2 Ltd has experienced persistent internal lapses and high turnover. In its 2013 assessment, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority cited major, seemingly unresolved issues in HS2's scope, timeline, budget, and benefits, warning that the project might need to be rescoped or fundamentally reassessed. In 2017, HS2 Ltd admitted to paying 1.8 million pounds in unauthorized redundancy compensation -- a serious breach of governance. Despite multiple attempts at reform, oversight remained inadequate. In February 2025, Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) declared HS2 a "casebook example of how not to run a major project." The PAC cited a "cycle of repeated failure" in collaboration between the DfT and HS2 Ltd, highlighting ongoing disagreement even over fundamental matters such as final cost, scope, and delivery date. POLITICAL MALFUNCTION Over time, HS2's original purpose became clouded by shifting government priorities. After commissioning an independent review in 2019, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the project the green light in early 2020, but simultaneously scrapped the eastern leg to Leeds as a cost-saving measure. In November 2021, the government officially cancelled the Leeds branch of Phase 2, abandoning plans to extend HS2 to the East Midlands and Yorkshire. The decision, prompted by concerns over rising costs, was seen as a politically convenient way to cap spending, but it also undermined HS2's core objective of improving northern England's infrastructure. "If investing in major infrastructure projects is an important sign that the UK is focused on growth and tackling regional inequality, this decision seems to signal the opposite," said the Institute for Government (IfG) in 2023. In March 2023, in the face of rising inflation and tight public finances, then Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced the deferral of key HS2 segments. Phase 2a (Birmingham to Crewe) was delayed by at least two years, and construction of the London Euston terminal was paused indefinitely. Although the official justification was to distribute spending more evenly over time, the delays only raised long-term costs. The pause at Euston followed a surge in the station's estimated cost to 4.8 billion pounds -- nearly double the original budget -- largely due to changes in design and scope. As a result, the launch of HS2's first phase was pushed back. Rather than reaching central London, initial HS2 services will terminate at Old Oak Common in west London, with no trains expected to reach the city centre before the 2040s. Rather than planning every detail years in advance, ministers and officials should focus on launching a minimum viable option and scaling up over time to avoid locking into expensive and inflexible commitments, the IfG recommended. In October 2023, ahead of a general election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled the remaining northern half of HS2 -- the Birmingham to Manchester section -- during his Conservative Party conference speech. This sudden reversal came despite billions already being spent on planning and land acquisition for the now-abandoned route. Industry groups strongly criticized the decision. A suppliers' association remarked, "Every change in scope has added to the delays and costs" on HS2. As the PAC later noted, recent government interventions have had "damaging consequences" for HS2's timeline and financial health. As Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, PAC chair, put it: "It is time to deal with HS2 as what it is -- a cautionary tale that should be studied by future governments in how not to run a major project." (1 pound = 1.34 U.S. dollar)
Spectator
18-06-2025
- Business
- Spectator
The real scandal of HS2
As if the saga of HS2 could not get any worse, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will reportedly announce today that, actually, the railway line will not be open by its latest proposed date of 2033, and that 2035 is now more realistic. But I wouldn't book your ticket just yet. Some analysts believe the line – which is a truncated version of the original proposal, only reaching Birmingham – will not be open for a couple of years or so after that. For some reason a Conservative government then decided the state should handle HS2, in spite of the lousy record of civil servants in managing such projects That will be more than quarter of a century after the then-Conservative government decided to go ahead with it. In the first 25 years of railway history, which began two centuries ago this year, the country was transformed by railways. Lines stretched across the country, all built without the aid of a single bulldozer. In the modern age, with all the earth-moving equipment in the world, all we will have achieved is to duplicate a line from London to Birmingham. And for that we will have paid upwards of £54 billion – although does anyone really believe that that figure, the latest official estimate, will be the last upwards revision? I can't disagree with Alexander when she says that the last Conservative government, through HS2, have turned UK national infrastructure projects into a 'laughing stock'. She will be reporting the findings of the latest review into HS2 (by John Stewart, the former chief executive of another rail project which overran, Crossrail) which is reported to have uncovered numerous examples of contractors inflating costs. She will be right to announce that some may be investigated for fraud. HS2 is a huge blot on the copybook of the Conservative government which had several chances to cancel the project before it got out of hand. As I reported here in 2012, Cameron's cabinet at that stage was on the point of pulling the plug. Boris Johnson had another chance in 2020, when Lord Berkeley told him the costs had run 'completely out of control' and that it was now expected to cost more than £100 billion. Yet he went ahead anyway, without any obvious answer as to how the costs would be brought under control. HS2 was ill-conceived from the start. It was over-engineered with a needlessly high line speed of 225 mph (150 mph would have been fine given that all the cities which are connected by the project are within 200 miles of each other). It bypassed places like Coventry and Stoke-on-Trent which it ought to have been serving. But the scandal of HS2 goes way beyond the railway itself. It is an object lesson in how not to undertake infrastructure projects: by setting up a state-owned company and putting the bill on the taxpayer. HS1 – from St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel – was built with private capital. It wasn't free of issues, but it was built to a reasonable timeframe. For some reason a Conservative government then decided the state should handle HS2, in spite of the lousy record of civil servants in managing such projects. You could almost hear the contractors licking their lips. Labour is quite justified in damning the Tories for HS2 – David Cameron's government, after all, was supposed to be committed to bringing the public finances back into balance. Yet Labour can't seem to see it is about to repeat the mistake with Sizewell C. There, the circumstances are similar. Hinkley C is being built with private finance, with French energy company EDF taking the financial risk. EDF, indeed, has burned its fingers a bit. So what has Starmer's government done? It has decide to go ahead with a second nuclear power station, almost identical in its troublesome design, but this time built entirely with public money. What could possibly go wrong? I'm not booking my ticket on HS2 just yet, but I am prepared to place a bet that Sizewell C will be the next UK infrastructure disaster.
