About HS2

Established in January 2009, High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd is the company set up by the Government to consider the case for new high speed rail services between London and Scotland.

Should Ministers decide to proceed with a high speed line, HS2 would be a high capacity railway, designed to standard European high speed specifications, and make use of technology successfully developed in countries like France and Germany.

The specifications for high speed rail systems are different to those of conventional UK rail. In order to ensure that new systems built in Europe were compatible with each other and use common standards, the European Union set out guidance and specifications that all countries must adhere to when building new rail lines ….more