Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the railway will create thousands of jobs and create vital links between towns and cities.
Construction of HS2 will begin on friday, formally, with a shovel in the ground moment. Even though it’s over budget and several years behind the schedule, the UK Prime Minister gave the green light for the high-speed railways happen in February 2020.
HS2 construction work will begin on Friday
The project was given the revised budget and schedule. Then two months later, the minister gave permission to enter the contraction phase. Boris Johnson said that the railway will create vital links between urban areas.
Boris Johnson said, “HS2 is at the heart of our plans to build back better and with construction now formally underway, it’s set to create around 22,000 new jobs“. The Prime Minister added: “As the spine of our country’s transport network, the project will be vital in boosting connectivity between our towns and cities.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps claimed the event marks a major milestone in this Government’s ambitions to build back better from Covid-19 pandemic. Shapss said, “Shovels in the ground to deliver this new railway means thousands of jobs building the future of our country’s infrastructure.”
Most activity this year will be focused on HS2’s city centre stations and major construction compounds such as in Old Oak Common, west London and Calvert, Buckinghamshire.
The announcement of the beginning of the construction
HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Thurston said: “This is a hugely exciting moment in the progress of HS2. After 10 years of development and preparatory work, today we can formally announce the start of full construction, unlocking thousands of jobs and supply chain opportunities across the project.”
He told that HS2 is already seeing the benefits that building HS2 is bringing to the UK economy in the short term, but it’s important to emphasise how transformative the railway will be for the country when operational.
Thurston keeps added that with the start of construction, the reality of high-speed journeys joining up Britain’s biggest cities in the North and Midlands and using that connectivity to help level up the country has just moved a step closer.
