In comes Britain’s new high-speed railway, the HS2 (High Speed 2), a game-changer for future rail travel. Building the network frees up a huge amount of space on the existing railway by placing high-speed services on an individual track, and enabling more local commuter and freight services on our current network. The new railway is also expected to contribute to rebalancing and boosting the UK’s economy.
Here are three of the many benefits that the new railway will provide;
- Cutting carbon emissions
The HS2 promises to build a cleaner and greener future. “All our trains will be powered by zero-carbon energy from day one of the services. For us, that means becoming net-zero from 2035” (https://www.hs2.org.uk/why/carbon/). This means that commuters will be able to enjoy their travels without worrying about carbon emissions.
- Capacity
As the new rail network will focus its high-speed trains on long-distance journeys, this will allow trains on our current network to free up extra room creating a more comfortable experience for all. “Once HS2 is operating, services can run much closer together, meaning there can be more rush-hour trains, helping to relieve overcrowding” (https://www.hs2.org.uk/why/capacity/).
- Creating jobs
The new rail network is set to provide over 22,000 jobs, including thousands of apprenticeships, across the 20 years it’s estimated to take to build. You can head over to their website to find out more about the opportunities available.
The new High-Speed rail 2 is set to launch phase one of its project between 2029 and 2033 and will provide improved links between London and Birmingham. Travelling at speeds of up to 250 mph, trains on the railway will make travel much quicker for commuters, giving them more of an incentive to use the trains instead of other modes of transport such as cars and buses, cutting emissions drastically.
We’re so excited for the launch of this new railway, to see how it’ll completely transform rail travel across Britain and the positive effects it will have on our carbon footprint!