Date/Time
Date(s) - Saturday 24/10/2026
14.00 - 16.00
Location
The Birmingham & Midland Institute
Zoom link (when applicable)
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Categories
Ray’s talk will follow the history of the project from inception to the present-day, considering examples of work carried out as well as abandoned aspects such as the extensions to Leeds and Manchester. In 2026 there has been significant progress with the infrastructure and plans are now being made for laying track and testing on a trial section. A feature of the work has been the use of road contractors’ vehicles and the making of temporary roads to assist construction – a system similar to motorway construction and very unlike the old method of employing contractors’ railways. The more expensive mode of construction adopted for HS2 is a core element in this talk, as are the political decisions that have affected what is now being built.