It was a pharaonic and highly controversial project that Boris Johnson finally gave the green light to. The British Prime Minister validated the High Speed 2 (HS2) high-speed train line project on Tuesday (February 11th), despite the enormous cost and opposition from politicians and environmentalists. This project, considered the most important in Europe, is supposed to open up the Midlands and the north of England, served by saturated trains and lines dating for many of them from the Victorian era.
Faced with a bill that could exceed £ 100 billion (118 billion euros), Boris Johnson assured British MPs that he intends to control the cost of the project and improve its management. He will therefore appoint a minister who will devote himself entirely to HS2. "Cost forecasts have exploded", according to Mr. Johnson, "But mismanagement has not changed according to (him) the fundamental value of the project ".
The head of the British government has not quantified the total cost. However, he estimated that the first phase, which runs from London to Birmingham in central England, could be completed for between £ 35 billion and £ 45 billion. The trip, which currently takes just under an hour and a half, would take about 50 minutes with trains going up to 225 miles per hour (361 km / h) at top speed.
Investments in local transport
The planned works are particularly complex. The route of the line involves digging long tunnels, diverting rivers or acquiring land that is sometimes very expensive, particularly in the British capital. Environmental organizations denounce its impact on natural habitats and endangered species.
The government has decided in favor of this colossal project, the most ambitious of its kind in Europe at present, despite the opposition of certain Conservative members who consider that the money would be more usefully injected into the modernization of local transport infrastructure. These parliamentarians are often drawn from former Labor strongholds who fell into the conservative camp during the December elections, won by hand by Boris Johnson.
The latter however promised Tuesday a "Massive investment program" in local transport, in particular by freeing up 5 billion pounds over five years to improve bus networks and cycle paths. According to him, these investments in transport must also allow the United Kingdom to fulfill its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
