This is the first entry of our new blog on the Government's HS2 proposals.  Described by Government as the 'single biggest infrastructure investment of our lifetime', the highly controversial £32.7billion plans to construct a new high speed rail network in Britain, known simply as HS2, have never been far from the headlines. Yet in recent weeks, momentum has really started to build.

We have seen a plethora of HS2 announcements and press reports, ranging from fairly substantive changes to the proposals themselves, court decisions, public consultations and earlier this week, hot on the heels of the Queen's Speech, the first piece of High Speed Rail legislation, designed to authorise further expenditure on the proposals, was introduced in Parliament.

For those with an interest in the HS2 project, whether through love or hate, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with these many developments. Looking ahead (and notwithstanding that the first trains are not expected to run until 2026) the Government has set out a highly ambitious programme. This would see Phase 1 (London to the West Midlands) fully authorised by Parliament before the next General Election. In addition, a major public consultation is also expected to be launched later this year on the so-called 'Y' network to Leeds and Manchester (Phase 2). If this programme is to be achieved, we expect HS2 is really going to get interesting over the next few years.

And so it seems the perfect time to launch our new HS2 blog.

In subsequent entries, we intend to explore all things high speed rail. We will look in detail at the proposals themselves; the route selected between London and Birmingham, and the announced routes to Manchester and Leeds. We will highlight the reported benefits and impacts that are likely to arise. As longstanding Parliamentary Agents, we have a keen interest in the Hybrid Bill Procedure that has been chosen to authorise HS2 and through our involvement in many previous Hybrid Bills, experience of the process to share. We will seek to explain as much as possible about Hybrid Bills, and why one has been chosen for HS2. We will explain the purpose of the recent Paving Bill and what it is designed to do.

Those affected by HS2 can seek to get involved through petitioning in Parliament and we will also cover the petitioning process, including what is achievable and what is not.  As a law firm, we do not adopt a particular standpoint of promoting or being opposed to HS2. Rather, we hope that our new blog will become essential reading for anyone interested in the HS2 proposals and the forthcoming Parliamentary process.

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