Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of HS2 train noise exceeding the limits set out in the information paper by HS2 Ltd, E20: Control of Airborne Noise from Altered Roads and the Operational Railway, published on 30 July 2014, as a result of (1) operational noise assumptions, and (2) noise prediction model uncertainty; and whether that risk has been recorded in the HS2 costs and risk estimates.

HS2 Ltd is integrating the design of HS2 by developing requirements and specifications for each of the of the parts of the railway that contribute to the end-state noise generated by operational services, so that the objectives set out in HS2 Information Paper E20 are delivered.

HS2 Ltd is continually monitoring planned performance against these requirements, and against the overall compliance with our noise commitments. HS2 Ltd manages all risks associated with the delivery of the railway through their Corporate Risk registers. This includes all risks relating to compliance with HS2 Information Paper E20, and includes the development of mitigation measures and treatment strategies intended to avoid or reduce the probability of the risk occurring and to reduce or control the impact of the risks should they occur.