The Rail Engineer: "HS2 Fights Back"

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"The reason for building HS2 can sometimes be obscured in the fog of argument about whether people work on trains, benefit-cost ratios (BCR) and the like, writes Tim Smart, Head of Engineering and Operations, HS2 Ltd.

"There have been a number of negative comments in the media during the latter part of the summer concerning the likely out-turn costs of HS2. Some are from notable sources, but it is far from clear on what real basis these comments have been made.

"It seems to me they were made more on the narrow and short-sighted view that big infrastructure projects are not successful in meeting cost targets than a proper understanding of the proposals and strategies behind HS2. They also ignore recent successful projects such as the Heathrow Terminal 5, 2012 Olympics and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link – HS1."