Thursday, July 18, 2013

News: Public consultation on the proposed HS2 route

By

Public consultation has begun on the proposed route of the £50 billion high speed rail project.

By 2033, the South Yorkshire station at Meadowhall (pictured, above), just three miles from the centre of Rotherham, will be on the proposed route from London to Leeds via Birmingham and the East Midlands. With trains travelling at speeds of up to 250 mph, and each with up to 1,100 seats per train, passengers will be able to get from Leeds in 17 minutes, Birmingham in 38 minutes and from London in one hour and nine minutes.

Five trains per hour are expected to Leeds, three trains per hour to Birmingham and three trains per hour to London.

The public are now being asked for their thoughts on the proposed route, station locations and the exceptional hardship scheme, designed to assist owner-occupiers of residential, agricultural, and small business property, affected by the plans. Previous analysis showed that Rotherham settlements "at which, or in the vicinity of which, a relatively higher risk of noise impacts have been identified" are Swallownest, Treeton, Catcliffe and Thorpe Hesley.

The preferred route to Meadowhall enters Rotherham at Killamarsh following the line of the disused Chesterfield Canal. At the Rother Valley Country Park, it is set to pass between the park and the suburb of Beighton between the existing rail corridor and the embankment of the redundant rail corridor on the Sheffield / Rotherham border. The design speed would fall to 224 mph in order to minimise impacts on the park.

An 850 metre viaduct would take the line across Sheffield Road at Fence and the River Rother flood plain. A further 2.2km long viaduct, eight to ten metres above the valley floor, would then take the route through the £100m Waverley development site before entering a 22 metre deep cutting to pass beneath the Parkway at the site of the Morisson's supermarket at Catcliffe.

Through part of the Sheffield Business Park at the former airport, the route would emerge from the cutting and would then pass on an embankment along the site of the former Tinsley Marshalling Yards and through to Meadowhall. The route has been re-orientated to avoid impacting on Firth Rixson's nearby manufacturing site. (pictured, below)

HS2 is also expected to support the creation of around 5,000 jobs in the station development regeneration areas around Meadowhall and the Lower Don Valley.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, said: "HS2 will be a vital part of our infrastructure. This new high speed line will open up opportunities for this country that we have not seen in generations. Its scope to transform this country is enormous.

"HS2 provides a once in a generation opportunity to drive growth, generate jobs, develop skills and secure our country's future prosperity. We need to squeeze every possible benefit from this vital project, leaving no stone unturned."

Phase two consultation will run for six months and will be accompanied by a series of public information events from mid-October 2013 to early January 2014 where people will be able to review local information and speak directly with HS2 Ltd staff about the proposals. Responses to the consultation will play an important part in informing the decision on a final route, station and depot options by the end of 2014.

HS2 Ltd website

Images: HS2 Ltd

0 comments:

Members:
Supported by:
More news...

  © Blogger template Newspaper III by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP