Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed HS2 Phase One viaducts at Wendover on (1) traffic flow, and (2) the future development of the A413.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
HS2 Ltd have been in consultation with the local authority Buckinghamshire Council about the impact of the Small Dean Viaduct at Wendover on A413 traffic flow. Agreed arrangements have been made so that the flow of the traffic underneath the viaduct will not be adversely affected. This has also been satisfied by road safety regulations.
In 2019 HS2 Ltd undertook a review of the design of the Small Dean Viaduct spanning the A413 south of Wendover with consideration for futureproofing the A413 for future growth. Currently the A413 is single carriageway. Public feedback has been taken through engagement events. In response to the study HS2 Ltd have confirmed that the building of the viaduct will not inhibit any future road widening of the A413. The outcome from this design review has shown that the dualling of the A413 can still be carried out with the viaduct in place, outside the remit of the HS2 programme. Moreover, the building of the viaduct will not inhibit future local authority development plans.
The outcome of this study has been reviewed by the local planning and highway authorities who are satisfied with this review and have no objection to the planned design of the proposed highway and viaduct design.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that HS2 Ltd’s Noise Model is verified for accuracy against other domestic and international High-Speed Rail services.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The local and route-wide sound, noise and vibration effects arising from the operation of HS2 were set out in the Environmental Statements for Phase One and Phase 2a. The predictions used in the assessments were based on noise and vibration models extensively validated against measurements of existing high-speed trains in the UK and abroad and supplemented with reasonably foreseeable worst case assumptions about the noise emitted by HS2 trains. Both Houses scrutinised such effects before passing the High- Speed Rail (London to West Midlands) 2017.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the conclusions of the British Tunnelling Society in their 2019 article for Tunnels & Tunnelling International entitled ‘Tunnelling costs and production rates benchmarked’, which concluded that tunnelling costs decrease per unit length with increasing overall tunnelling length, and (2) the implications of these conclusions for estimates of the cost of the Wendover Short-Mined Tunnel Proposal on HS2 Phase One.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport has incorporated the Infrastructure and Projects Authority top-down benchmarking methodology for tunnelling, developed in partnership with the British Tunnelling Society, as part of the Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Strategy benchmarking initiative.
The proposal for the short-mined tunnel at Wendover was rejected by the Government in 2018. We do not believe that this historical decision would have been any different had this methodology been applied at the time. The decision to reject the proposed short-mined tunnel at Wendover was based on the estimated cost of mitigating the poor ground conditions in the area of the proposed tunnel.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HS2 Ltd used (1) HS2: A Guide to Tunnelling Costs, published by HS2 Ltd on 11 June 2015, and (2) the Infrastructure Cost Review by HM Treasury and Infrastructure UK, published on 21 December 2010, as benchmarks for estimating the costs of the Wendover Short-Mined Tunnel proposal.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
HS2 Ltd used both of the reports referred to at (1) and (2) as guides to the development of cost estimates for the tunnels on the Phase One route. Both reports are principally focussed on bored tunnels, and their application to cost estimate development for a mined tunnel would be limited. HS2 Ltd did however develop a bottom-up cost estimate of a mined tunnel in the Wendover area, to aid options analysis.
When proposals for a mined tunnel at Wendover were re-submitted to the Department by mbpc Ltd on behalf of Wendover Parish Council after Royal Assent had been granted, HS2 Ltd subsequently undertook a separate comparative line by line cost analysis of the mbpc proposal, prior to the Department rejecting the mined tunnel proposal in 2018.
Producing a further bottom-up estimate with contractor involvement (following the Main Works Civils Contracts award in July 2017) was rejected in October 2018 on the grounds of cost, and this was communicated in writing to the constituency MP at that time.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HS2 Ltd has made changes to the design and scope of the HS2 Phase One programme since Royal Assent in 2017.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Since Royal Assent for Phase One in 2017, and in line with best practice for any major infrastructure investment, HS2 Ltd has undertaken and completed a comprehensive review of scope ahead of HMG awarding Notice to Proceed in April 2020. This review concluded that the high-level design and scope of the programme was appropriate for meeting the scheme’s business case objectives. Overall, the maturity of design for the scheme has developed significantly, moving from high-level designs for the scheme in 2017 to shovel-ready designs for the major civils works in 2020. In some cases, this maturing design has resulted in localised changes in specification, design and scope. However, these changes do not impact on the overall commitment to meet the scheme’s objectives.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any evidence from OTB Engineering on whether the Wendover short mined tunnel proposed for HS2 should be cost neutral; and if so, what assessment they have made of that evidence.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HS2 Ltd received a copy of the OTB Engineering report on 25 October 2016. There is no evidence in the report which would require the current cost estimates prepared by HS2 Ltd to need reviewing.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HS2 Ltd considered examples of HS1 tunnel construction when they examined the case for the Wendover short mined tunnel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The cost estimates proposals for a mined tunnel past Wendover were based on the specific requirements for the tunnel and topography of the route at this location.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HS2 Ltd used current HM Treasury tunnel project modelling when they costed proposals for the Wendover short mined tunnel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The cost estimate for the short mined tunnel proposals at Wendover were based on the specific topography at that location, the individual tunnel requirements and the appropriate construction rates.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of HS2 Ltd's noise mitigation proposals for Wendover.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Operational sound, noise and vibration assessments were undertaken for the additional noise mitigation at Wendover as part of Supplementary Environmental Statement 4 which accompanied the deposit of Additional Provision 5.
Asked by: Viscount Astor (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received new evidence from OTB Engineering relating to the Wendover short mined tunnel; and whether, as a result, they will order a review of the engineering costs used by HS2 Ltd.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HS2 Ltd received a copy of the OTB Engineering report on 25 October 2016. The report contains no evidence to suggest that the current cost estimates prepared by HS2 Ltd need reviewing.