Ineco was involved in the assessment of the integration of the Birmingham to Leeds eastern leg of HS2 with other rail projects in the region, carried out by the UK’s National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) at the request of the Government. The report for that assessment concluded that investments in the North and the Midlands should be given higher priority since they offer significant improvements in capacity, connectivity and reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from the mid-2030s.
Having commissioned an independent review of the entire high-speed rail project, in February 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the need for, and the importance of, HS2 as the new ‘backbone’ of the country’s transport network, while at the same time announcing a new rail plan for the North and the Midlands.
Meanwhile, in September, work officially started on Phase 1, which is expected to generate 22,000 jobs in the United Kingdom over the coming years.
Ineco has been working with AECOM and Capita on the preliminary design of the civil works and environmental impact studies for Lot 2 of Phase 2B of the Birmingham-Leeds leg since 2017. In 2012, Ineco started work with Capita on Phase 1, London to Birmingham.
