PHASE ONE DESIGN REFINEMENT CONSULTATION Consultation Document | London-West Midlands ENGINE FOR GROWTH ENGINE FOR GROWTH HS2 London – West Midlands Design Refinement Consultation May 2013 The Department for Transport has actively considered the needs of blind and partially sighted people in accessing this document. The text will be made available in full on the Department’s website via hyperlink. The text may be freely downloaded and translated by individuals or organisations for conversion into other accessible formats. If you have other needs in this regard please contact the Department. Department for Transport Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR Telephone 0300 330 3000 General email enquiries [email protected] Website www.gov.uk/dft Crown copyright, 2013, except where otherwise stated Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with the Crown. You may re-use this information (not including logos or third-party material) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or e-mail: [email protected]. Where we have identified any third-party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. To order further copies contact: DfT Publications Tel: 0300 123 1102 Web: www.dft.gov.uk/orderingpublications Product code: P1DC/01 Printed in Great Britain on paper containing at least 75% recycled fibre Contents Foreword 4 1. Introduction 6 2. Euston Station 13 3. HS1-HS2 Link 21 4. Northolt Corridor 25 5. Heathrow junctions 29 6. Colne Valley viaduct 32 7. Maintenance Loop near Stoke Mandeville 36 8. Calvert Infrastructure Maintenance Depot 40 9. Maintenance Loop near Wormleighton 43 10. Chelmsley Wood Curve 47 11. Water Orton 51 12. Bromford 54 13. Washwood Heath 59 14. Leeds junction 63 15. Manchester junction 66 16. How to respond to the consultation and next steps 70 3 HS2 London – West Midlands Design Refinement Consultation Foreword This Government is committed to building a competitive and dynamic economy for the long term which is why we are pressing ahead with HS2, a powerful engine for growth which will bring greater capacity, improved connectivity, local regeneration and economic development that will help our economy grow and prosper. HS2 presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform Britain’s economic geography which is why it is backed by entrepreneurs, businesses, passengers, and many local authorities alike. This new railway will become a priceless national asset which will generate a return on investment that will continue paying back for generations to come. HS2 will benefit our national economy in two distinct ways. By providing fast, direct links between our major cities it will bring new opportunities for millions of people, providing better access to jobs and markets. HS2 will also relieve congestion for suburban commuters, for example on services into London Euston where passenger numbers are forecast to exceed seat capacity by up to 60% by 2030, as well as provide much needed additional freight capacity on the existing rail network. Earlier this year I announced the preferred route for the second phase of HS2, but we have also been pressing ahead with developing the detailed design of phase one between London and the West Midlands. As with all major projects, we have been working hard on the detailed design of HS2 and have modified our proposals in a number of ways since they were set out in January 2012. This is an important process to ensure that the design is of the highest quality and reduces as far as practicable its impacts on people and the environment. We are therefore proposing a range of design refinements along the line of route. Many of these refinements are small in scale but some are more significant, altering the local impact of the scheme. To ensure well informed decision-making I have decided to consult on these changes. Some of these refinements arise from responding to representations from individuals and organisations affected by the HS2 route, some arise from the operational requirements of the railway. In all instances, I have considered the options available and indicated my preferred proposal for each refinement, but I want to give people the opportunity to make their views known and also provide further evidence to inform my final decision. 4 Foreword Following this consultation I will make a decision on which changes to include in the design of the railway, and this will accompany the HS2 phase one hybrid bill that is due to be introduced into Parliament by the end of the year. The changes that I am proposing will help make the railway the best it can be, providing passengers with the high level of service they expect while minimising as far as practical the impact on local communities. They will help ensure that we are on target to deliver a vitally important improvement to the nation’s infrastructure, a project that will become as integral to our national life and prosperity as our motorways and existing railways. The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP Secretary of State for Transport 5 HS2 London – West Midlands Design Refinement Consultation 1. Introduction 1.1 Background 1.1.1 In January 2012 the Government published High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain’s Future – Decisions and Next Steps1, which set out the route and stations for Phase One of HS2 following consultation. Since then engineers and environmental specialists have continued developing the design of this route to ensure that HS2 is as efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly a railway as is reasonably practicable. HS2 Ltd – the company set up to develop the scheme on behalf of the Government – has also continued to engage with the local communities and others with an interest such as local authorities, environmental bodies, Network Rail, Transport for London and utility companies. 1.1.2 This work and engagement has led HS2 Ltd to refine the design of the railway and in a small number of locations propose changes to the design that go beyond simply developing the January 2012 design. In these cases the Secretary of State has decided to formally consult on his proposed change. This will allow him to consider the views of the public before making a final decision on whether the changes should be included within the design of HS2 submitted to Parliament with the hybrid bill for Phase One. 1.1.3 Details of each of these design changes can be found in this document. 1.2 What we are consulting on 1.2.1 The development of a major engineering project such as HS2 involves a process of design refinements right up until the point of construction. When refining the design, HS2 Ltd has considered making improvements, where possible, on environmental, technical, service and cost grounds. The majority of these are minor and are reflected in the scheme design whose environmental impacts are set out in the draft Environmental Statement which is being consulted on in parallel to this consultation. 1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-speed-rail-investing-in-britains-future-the-governments-decisions 6 1. Introduction 1.2.2 However, there are 14 proposed changes to the design of the route that go beyond the normal process of design development for a scheme of this nature. These changes involve either introducing new operational rail infrastructure that was not envisaged in January 2012, or a significant alteration to the original design that gives rise to new or increased significant environmental effects2 on people, wildlife, land or property compared to the January 2012 design. 1.2.3 The Secretary of State has decided to consult on these proposed changes before making a final decision on whether to include them within the design that will be submitted to Parliament alongside the hybrid bill. This consultation sets out the options examined and the Secretary of State’s proposed changes. 1.2.4 In summary, the 14 proposed changes are: 1. at Euston, to replace the January 2012 proposal to rebuild Euston Station with a revised proposal for a new station providing new shared passenger facilities to the front of the station while retaining 13 existing platforms, with only minor modification, at their current level on the eastern side of the site, and 11 new platforms for high speed trains on the western side, constructed at a lower level; 2. in the London Borough of Camden, to widen the North London Line viaduct between Kentish Town Road and Hawley Road to provide capacity for HS2 trains connecting onto HS1, in addition to local passenger and freight services using the line; 3. in the London Borough of Ealing, to replace the proposed surface section of the route between Old Oak Common and Northolt with a bored tunnel including three new vent shafts; 4. in the Colne Valley, make provision so that a future link to Heathrow can be connected to the Phase One main line with the minimum of disruption to HS2 train services; 5. also in the Colne Valley, to move the proposed alignment of the Colne Valley viaduct by up to 60 metres to the north to reduce the disturbance to the River Colne; 6. near Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, to provide a maintenance loop to support efficient operation of the railway; 7. at Calvert, to improve access between the proposed Infrastructure Maintenance Depot and HS2 tracks to the south; 8. near Wormleighton in Warwickshire, provide a maintenance loop to support efficient operation of the railway; 2 A significant environmental effect is defined in HS2 London to West Midlands EIA Scope and Methodology Report, see http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/sites/highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/files/HS2%20London%20to%20West%20Midlands%20 EIA%20Scope%20&%20Methodology%20Report%20revised_0.pdf 7 HS2 London – West Midlands Design Refinement Consultation 9.