HS2 will deliver no environmental benefits, says former rail watchdog chief

The volume of carbon emissions produced by the construction of the controversial HS2 railway line will be greater than the reduction in removing vehicles from the road, a new report published today revealed.

A review of the project by the former head of the rail regulator, Stephen Glaister, found that HS2 will yield effectively zero environmental benefits.

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The warning comes after senior ministers heading up the project promoted the construction process as an example of “gold standard” project management.

HS2 was also labelled as having strong environmental credentials, in part reasoned through expectations that it will remove high volumes of traffic and carbon emissions from cars from UK roads.

In March, Andrew Stephenson, minister responsible for HS2, told the Commons the railways line will “continue its work to reduce carbon emissions during construction and operation ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference later this year.”

However, Mr Glaister told The Telegraph: “You can’t say that it’s a clear carbon reducing scheme just because it’s a railway… Carbon reduction was never a strong argument in favour of HS2, or against it.”

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A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “HS2 is a key part of our promise to build back better from Covid-19 and level up regions across the country.”

“It will better connect towns and cities across the country, help kickstart an economic recovery by creating new jobs and business opportunities, and provide a low-carbon alternative to cars and planes, playing a key role in achieving our transition to carbon net zero by 2050.”