David Higgins, chairman of HS2 Ltd, has published his review of HS2, which includes his thoughts on the progress made so far, its ongoing development and his plans for the future. Access the full report and supporting slides here.
Commenting on HS2 Plus, Lawrie Quinn, member of the High Speed Rail Industry Leaders Group and Chair of the Railway Engineers Forum, said
“We welcome the suggestions about optimising the schedule for HS2. This will have a significant, beneficial impact on costs and ensuring construction is efficient and contained.
It also means investment in people and skills will be brought forward ensuring the local resourcing of skills and plants to enable smoother delivery.
Sir David Higgins’s track record speaks for itself. He was key to ensuring that the Olympics, another large scale project, was delivered on time and on budget. His fresh perspective on HS2 makes his conclusions more significant.
The UK engineering industry is extremely well placed to deliver a programme of this scale – just look at the success of the Olympics, where time and geography constraints were overcome by innovative thinking and pioneering different approaches.”