Changes to the HS2 route near Lichfield, relocating the Heathrow Express maintenance depot at Langley rather than North Pole East, and construction of sidings near Old Oak Common are among 120 amendments proposed by the Government to the new line’s Hybrid Bill.
The changes follow extensive consultation between HS2 Ltd and communities along the first phase of the route from London to Birmingham. Another significant amendment is construction of a bypass for Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire.
At Lichfield, original plans to cross the West Coast Main Line and A38 road on viaducts have been altered. HS2 will now pass under the railway and road, avoiding the need for two crossings over the Trent and Mersey Canal, which had generated concern from the Canal and Rivers Trust.
Meanwhile, the construction of sidings to the west of Old Oak Common could allow a future connection between Crossrail and the West Coast Main Line in the future.
A motion has been laid in Parliament instructing the HS2 Select Committee to consider the changes and approve them. The Department for Transport says the Hybrid Bill “remains on track” to achieve Royal Assent by the end of 2016, with construction starting in 2017.
- For more on this story, read RAIL 778, published on July 8
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