HS2 tech systems will ‘still be state of the art’ in mid-2030s, minister claims
Although some parts of the new rail line may not open for two decades, DfT minister says the underlying tech will not have aged significantly by then
Prime minister Boris Johnson visits workers on the HS2 construction project in Birmingham Credit: EDDIE KEOGH/WPA Rota/Press Association Images
Although some parts of the High Speed 2 rail link may not open for 20 years, the government has insisted that the underpinning technology systems “will still be considered state of art” by the time the first trains travel on the new line.
Prime minister Boris Johnson last week announced that the government plans to roll out the £100bn project in full.
Once complete, HS2 will provide a new connection between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Crewe and Wigan. It is designed to triple capacity on these routes, and will cut travelling times almost in half – reducing the journey between London and Manchester to little more than an hour.
Work on the first section of the line, between London and Birmingham, is expected to conclude between 2028 and 2031. Phase 2, which will extend the line further north, is due to open between 2035 and 2040.
Related content
- DfT paper urges policy and programme commitments for digital railway signalling
- Javid and Johnson pledge ‘tough decisions’ as review of major projects gets underway
- Feature: On track for digital – building the railway of the future
Despite the fact that some parts of the line may not be served by any trains until two decades from now, Department for Transport minister Baroness Vere said that the underlying technology systems will still be considered modern by the time HS2 opens.
“The core design for HS2, should it go ahead, is based on proven international technology for high-speed rail, so as to contain risks to schedule and cost, but will use elements of new technologies wherever feasible to maximise benefits,” she said. “These include a digital signalling system with increased safety compared to conventional signalling, automatic driving of trains to improve capacity and performance and an advanced traffic management system that will optimise the movement of trains on the network to ensure rapid recovery from perturbations."
Vere added: “Because of the complexity and criticality of these systems, the development cycle of this technology is very long – decades, rather than years – and we expect that HS2’s systems will still be considered ‘state-of-the-art’ when it opens."
The minister, who was answering a written parliamentary question from cross-bench peer Lord Taylor of Warwick, admitted that some of the other technology used in the rollout will age much more quickly. She said that, for this reason, the government’s plan has built-in malleability to allow it to adapt to the development of new products,
“There are other areas of technology, such as passenger communications, entertainment and WiFi, which have a much shorter development cycle, and today’s technology in this area is likely to be out-of-date by the 2030s,” she said. “For this reason, we have incorporated flexibility into our specifications for the rolling stock and stations to ensure that the latest technology can be included later in the programme, allowing HS2’s customers to benefit from future innovations. Decisions on such technology will be taken at the latest appropriate moment so that the programme is not put at risk.”
Share this page
Tags
Categories
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM READERS
Please login to post a comment or register for a free account.
Related Articles
While other countries adapted seamlessly to digital doctors' consultations and online teaching, coronavirus showed how little progress the UK has really made, believes Jack Perschke of netcompany...
Now is the time for government to confront a tricky and long-standing issue, according to Eleonora Harwich of Reform
Having long suffered from a scarcity of funding, councils could be forgiven for deprioritising investments in new tech. But public and private and sector leaders tell PublicTechnology...
Public Accounts Committee points to need for more funding and legislative changes
Related Sponsored Articles
Defence Medical Services (DMS) is pursuing ground-breaking digital, data and technology transformation which will revolutionise Tri-Service healthcare provision to over 135,000 Armed...
OneTrust presents the reasons why your organisation should invest in privacy management - and offers three easy tips for getting started
The remote-first world has seen email being relied on more than ever as a core communication mechanism - but with 93% of IT leaders acknowledging a risk to sensitive data, what steps should be...
2020 was a cyber security wake up call for many organisations. Attempting to provide secure remote access and device flexibility quickly exposed the flaws in legacy systems and processes. As we...