HS2: infrastructure investment or environmental disaster?

By Niki Saberi Oskoui

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What is HS2?

HS2 is to be a major high speed railway, touted as a project to reinvigorate the UK economy. By connecting 8 of Britain's 10 largest cities, HS2 aims to bridge the gap between London, the Midlands and the North. The commencement of the project was announced by Boris Johnson in February of this year, after significant controversy.

What benefits will the project bring?

The project has been labelled as ‘more than a railway’. It aims to become the low carbon substitute for long distance travel, with journeys estimated to emit 17 times less carbon than the equivalent domestic flight and 7 times less carbon than a car journey.

The UK government has stated that it expects 70% of jobs created by the project to be outside London, improving economic growth. This includes 500,000 extra skilled jobs and apprenticeships in the construction and supply chain and roles in the maintenance of HS2.

HS2 protestors clash with workers at the Cubbington site. Source: the Leamington Spa Courier

What is the real environmental impact?

HS2 Ltd has stated that the project ‘aims to be one of the most environmentally responsible infrastructure projects ever delivered in the UK’. However, it has been argued that its real environmental consequences are a significant threat to the UK’s sustainability progress.

Rail expert Christian Wolamr has stated that the climate change case for HS2 has virtually disappeared. High speed travel requires significantly more energy than conventional trains. Moreover, the HS2 Action Alliance has stated that HS2's 250mph trains will use 50% more energy than the Eurostar trains which run on HS1, the only other high speed line in the UK.

Pressure group Stop HS2 and the Wildlife Trust oppose both phases of the project due to fears of damage to natural beauty, ecosystems, wildlife sites and habitats. According to the Woodland Trust, there are 61 ancient woodlands affected in Phase 1 alone. An example is the Water Haigh Woodland Park where 70% of the nature reserve will be lost to HS2. The damage caused is too great, especially whilst the UK is facing a climate and ecological emergency

Environmental concerns have gained significant traction among politicians. Politicians have pledged to continue scrutiny of HS2 in order to honour the concerns of their constituents. Long term critic of the project, Dame Cheryl Gillan, has been fighting for the ‘undue stress’ and ‘terrible treatment’ of her constituents as a result of HS2.

Various local councils and HS2 Action Alliance have been fighting the government in the courts over the environmental concerns. They argued that the Secretary for Transport was under a legal obligation to complete a strategic environmental assessment under EU law before continuing with the project. The assessment may have provided conclusive and binding evidence regarding the environmental consequences involved. If completed it would have been critical in pressuring the government to reconsider the project. However, the case was unanimously rejected.

“HS2 will destroy or damage hundreds of important wildlife sites, areas of ancient woodland and local nature reserves."

HS2 protest at Extinction Rebellion protest in London. Source: Niki Saberi

HS2 and the government have acknowledged that the route cannot be delivered without irreparable damage to the environment. Responding to environmental criticisms, an HS2 spokesperson told the BBC that they are also “delivering an unprecedented programme of tree planting and habitat creation alongside the new railway – with seven million new trees and shrubs set to be planted between London and Birmingham alone.”​ HS2 management hopes their tree building initiative will help to mitigate the railway’s impact on the environment. However, will this be enough to repair the deep scar the route will cause to the environment?

It is clear that in the eyes of the court and government, the permanent environmental damage outweighs the economic argument as the project is an infrastructure investment for a stronger economy. The main question is: will it be worth it? The real economic and environmental consequences will only surface after the completion of the project.