The purpose of the bill is to:
● Provide the powers to build and operate the next stage of the
High Speed Two (HS2) network from Crewe to Manchester
The main benefits of the bill would be:
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● Creating thousands of jobs and providing certainty at a
time when people need it the most. HS2 is at the heart of our
plans to build back better from COVID-19.
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● Bringing our biggest cities closer together which is key to
levelling up, will boost productivity and provide a
low-carbon mode of transport and alternative to planes.
The main elements of the bill are:
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● Powers to compulsorily acquire the land needed for the
railway, to construct and to operate it.
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● Deemed planning permission to deliver the scheme. The
details of planning will be developed on a site-by-site basis
in coordination with the local planning authority.
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● Setting out the way railway regulation will apply to HS2.
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● Modifying, or disapplying, of existing legislation that
would apply to construction of the scheme, reflecting the
fact that the scheme will have been approved by Parliament.
Territorial extent and application
● The Bill will extend and apply Great Britain wide, with its
substantive provisions applying in the main to England.
Key Facts
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● More than 15,000 people are employed as a result of the HS2
programme, including over 500 apprentices. Over 2,000
businesses across the UK have contracts.
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● Journey times between London and Manchester will be cut by
almost an hour from 2 hours 7 minutes to 1 hour 12 minutes,
while the journey from Birmingham to Manchester will be
reduced to only 40 minutes – saving 48 minutes.
