Like our scaffolding systems, Burflex Scaffolding is founded on quality, integrity and consistency. Our head office is based in Hull, we also have contact offices in Sheffield and Leeds.
As scaffolders based in Leeds, we are among the many businesses who anticipate the construction of the HS2 network, which will ultimately terminate in the city. What it means for the city remains to be seen, however, at present, there are still real concerns that the second leg of the high speed train network will even be finished.
While the first phase of the HS2, linking London to Birmingham, is well underway, burgeoning costs have many questioning whether the government will be able to afford to complete the second phase, which link Birmingham with Manchester and Leeds. Earlier this month, Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said that her party has ‘a real worry’ that the line won’t reach Leeds at all. Talking to LeedsLive, she said: “There’s a real worry that it won’t reach northern cities, who actually need the regeneration and economic development that HS2 can provide. We’re very keen on an east-west HS2, but we think the whole HS2 project and the route needs to be reviewed.”
The concern is that the government will run out of money before completing the second phase, and the MP was keen to point out that the second phase of HS2 is still awaiting parliamentary approval. The first phase is due to be completed by 2026, with the second phase completed by 2033.
This week, in an open letter to the government in regards of new leadership, business leaders called for a renewed support for the second phase of the HS2 project. In the letter, the group of leaders, from the likes of CBI, the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses among others, said that Birmingham had already seen record investment from foreign businesses thanks to the first phase of the project, reports the BBC. One MPs believe however that the project needs a complete review in regards of costs.
Concerns about the financial progress of the HS2 are so palpable, that attempts are ongoing to strip out costs wherever possible. Take for example, this story from the Construction Enquirer, which has seen engineers strip back the amount of steel used in the roof of the proposed new Oak Street Common station. Using a wind tunnel, and undertaking a snow-load review, the engineers, working alongside the architect, have managed to reduce down the steel’s profile, also ensuring that smaller cranes can be used in the construction process. It’s believed the changes will save as much as 1,000 tonnes of steel, which equates to £7 million of tax-payer’s money.
The HS2 in the north is also joined in the conversation by Northern Powerhouse Rail, another concept that looks to improve transport links in the north of England. Without it, only a small sector of the north have access to jobs within the largest cities without having to travel for over an hour, and a government study concluded that rail links is limiting the economy in the north.
The Department For Transport says that it’s not a case of ‘either/or’ for HS2 and NPR, however – they say both are needed and can only be achieved on the back of each other.
