HS2 - High Speed 2

High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in the United Kingdom between London and Wigan. The railway will be the country's second purpose-built high-speed line, the first being HS1, the connection from London to the Channel Tunnel.

HS2 will have two classes of trains capable of operating at the line's design speed of 400 km/h (250 mph). One class is dedicated to HS2 track, the other operates on both HS2 track and existing conventional track, reaching locations off the HS2 line using mixed HS2/conventional network services.

The initiative has received both support and criticism. Supporters of the project think that HS2 will boost capacity and reliability to accommodate pre-Covid growing passenger numbers while driving further mode shift to rail. Opponents argue that the project will not be ecologically or financially sustainable. In response to criticism, the government commissioned a review of the project in 2019, which was conducted by the project's previous chairman, Douglas Oakervee, and recommended that the whole project proceed as planned.

HS2 is Europe's greatest infrastructure project, aiming to bridge the north-south divide and create a country that works together. It entails the construction of 345 miles of new high-speed track connecting the city centers of London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds.

Estimate value: £1,500,000,000