What’s the timetable for 2013 with HS2? We’ve listed some key expected dates – but as always with HS2, these are subject to change and delay.
| January 2013 | Decision on Judicial Reviews expected to be announced by Mr Justice Ouseley. |
| Early 2013 | Announcement by Government of phase 2 initial preferred route from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds. The Department for Transport have had the suggested route since March 2012: they were to have announced it in Autumn 2012. In December, George Osborne delayed it until after the New Year. |
| 31st January 2013 | Consultation on Compensation and Consultation on Safeguarding close: we encourage everyone to submit to these consultations, even if you are not directly affected. |
| February 2013 | Community forums. |
| Spring 2013 | Consultation on draft Environmental Statement for phase 1 including design refinements |
| Summer 2013 | More community forums: there should also be several more rounds of forums this year |
| End of 2013 | Depending on how the Judicial Review went, the Government has planned to introduction the hybrid bill for construction of the London Birmingham section of HS2. The date we have been told is 26th October this year: |
| All of 2013 | Campaigning against HS2 by Stop HS2 and other groups opposed to it! |
Whatever HS2 Ltd and the DfT are doing, Stop Hs2 will continue to campaign against HS2 until the Government sees sense and cancels it. The basic principles on which the London to Birmingham stretch were designed – the lack of stations, the design speed, the inadequate links to Heathrow and HS1 – are so out of kilter with Britain’s transport needs, that no tweaking with the Phase 1 design, or Phase 2 developments can make this a good plan for this country.