The government has formally approved the construction of the new HS2 railway line, with the main works on the project set to start immediately.
The “notice to proceed” was confirmed by the Department for Transport early on Wednesday morning, allowing the project’s main civil works contractors to put spades in the ground.
HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson said: “We cannot delay work on our long-term plan to level up the country.”
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With the UK expected to enter a deep recession because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and measures taken to combat it, the project will provide work for the construction industry – which has been hit badly.
Governments often bring forward public works projects during recessions to provide employment and get money circulating in the economy.
Mark Thurston, chief executive of HS2 Ltd, said: “In these difficult times, today’s announcement represents both an immediate boost to the construction industry – and the many millions of UK jobs that the industry supports – and an important investment in Britain’s future: levelling up the country, improving our transport network and changing the way we travel to help bring down carbon emissions and improve air quality for the next generation.
“HS2 has been over 10 years in development and design. While the country’s focus is rightly on defeating Covid-19, the issuing of Notice to Proceed today ensures that our contractors and their supply chains have the confidence that they can commit to building HS2, generating thousands of skilled jobs across the country as we recover from the pandemic.”
Preparatory work on the project had already long begun, including readying the ground and the demolition of buildings. However, the green light for the constructions of bridges, tunnels and earthworks had been on hold while the project’s future was in doubt.
The Independent understands that most HS2 work sites closed down when the government introduced measures to combat Covid-19, but some have managed to reopen where it has been possible to take social distancing measures. Covid-19 lockdown measures do not include a blanket ban on construction work.
Boris Johnson, a longtime sceptic of HS2, said the project would go ahead in February, after a review he commissioned found it was the best way to improve rail capacity on the UK’s busiest travel corridors.
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The project is a network of three railway links radiating from Birmingham: one to Manchester and the northwest, one to Leeds via the East Midlands, and one to London. The first phase runs from London to Birmingham.
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Military personnel testing people at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures
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Posters drawn by children displayed in support of the NHS in a building near St Thomas’ Hospital in London
Getty
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A street cleaner in front of Coronavirus messaging on Picadilly Circus in London
Getty
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A jogger on the Millennium Bridge in London, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
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Waves crash over a car on the seafront during windy conditions in Broadstairs, Kent
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Members of the public out exercising on Brighton beach at sunset
Getty
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Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty
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Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty
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Getty
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A general view of an empty Trafalgar Square in London. There have as of now been 3,983 diagnosed coronavirus cases in the UK and 177 deaths
Getty
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Runners and riders compete in the JCB Triumph Hurdle during day four of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Thousands of people attended where Gold Cup day amid great uncertainty as sports events up and down the United Kingdom are postponed and cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak
PA Images via Reuters Connect
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A worker makes her way along rows of daffodils, removing any rogue varieties, at Taylors Bulbs in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The fourth generation family company plant over 35 million bulbs every year, and have held The Royal Warrant as Bulb Growers to Her Majesty The Queen since 1985
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AFP/Getty
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People taking part in the Million Women Rise march through central London, to demand an end to male violence against women and girls in all its forms
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40/50 6 March 2020
Crew members take a selfie beside the cab of The Flying Scotswoman, the LNER Edinburgh to London rail service which has an all-female crew to celebrate International Women’s Day, before it departs Edinburgh Waverley station
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A poodle arrives for the first day of Crufts 2020 in Birmingham
Jason Skarratt/Flick.digital
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An Emergency Department Nurse during a demonstration of the Coronavirus pod and Covid-19 virus testing procedures set-up beside the Emergency Department of Antrim Area Hospital in Northern Ireland
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Getty
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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg takes part in a “Youth Strike 4 Climate” protest march in Bristol, south west England. “Activism works, so I ask you to act,” she said
AFP/Getty
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PA
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Getty
50/50 25 February 2020
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As well as speeding up journey times between cities, the line will allow more local and regional trains to serve smaller towns and cities by separating stopping services and intercity services – which currently mix together in an inefficient way.
High-speed trains will also be able to run on existing lines to destinations off the main network like Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool and Stafford.
The project has been dogged by escalating costs and delays, however, and proved controversial – including in Mr Johnson’s own Conservative Party.
