Hertfordshire and HS2 - Some Indirect Benefit to our County
The new HS2 railway line, when it is extended to Leeds and Manchester, is currently estimated to cost £56 billion. To put this into context it is roughly the cost of keeping the NHS going for about 6 months. However, while the NHS benefits everyone (at least potentially) the benefits of HS2 are restricted mainly to the travellers along the lines. The headline benefit is that it will reduce the journey time between London Euston and Birmingham by 49 minutes. Indirect benefits are that it will take traffic off the West Coast Main Line and potentially increase capacity for people commuting into London and provide more longer distance services from stations like Watford Junction. This will also enable Crossrail to be extended up the West Coast Main Line to Tring and possible onwards to Milton Keynes. HS2 Phase 1 services are due to start in 2026.
