Order, order!

High Speed Rail (London - Cornwall) Bill

A

BILL

TO

Make provision for a railway between Waterloo in London and Truro in Cornwall, with a spur to connect to the Great Western Main Line at Slough in Berkshire and a motive power depot at Colnbrook and a by-pass tunnel at Guildford, and for connected purposes

BE IT ENACTED by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Section 1: Definitions

1. ‘High Speed 4’ shall henceforth refer to the railway in this act

Section 2: Powers of Compulsory Purchase

1. The Secretary of State may purchase compulsorily land in England and Wales which is required—

(a) for, or in connection with, the construction and operation of High Speed 4 as laid out in Schedule 1 of this Act, and its stations and associated infrastructure;
(b) as to which it can be reasonably foreseen that it will be so required.

(2) The power to purchase land compulsorily includes power to acquire an easement or other right over the land by creation of a new right.

(3) Part 1 (compulsory purchase under the Acquisition of Land Act 1946) of the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965, in so far as it is not modified by or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, applies to the acquisition of land under this Act as it applies to a compulsory purchase to which the Acquisition of Land Act 1981 applies.

(4) The Acquisition of Land Act 1981 applies to the acquisition of land under this Act.

(5) The land that may be compulsorily purchased under this section is any land within 500 metres of the track laid out in the map of reference deposited in the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments alongside this legislation, or any amended version thereof.

(6) The right to compulsorily purchase in this section may be exercised in relation to the entire land, or restricted to the subsoil, under-surface, or the airspace of the land only.

Section 3: Conditions of compulsory purchase

(1) The Secretary of State may impose conditions as part of a compulsory purchase under section 2.

(2) The conditions may impose one or more requirements on the Secretary of State, including but not limited to—

(a) a requirement to identify suitable alternative land for the landowner, tenant, or other occupier;
(b) a requirement to make a payment to the landowner, tenant, or other occupier;
(c) a requirement to develop specified land that the Secretary of State has permission to develop; and
(d) a requirement to protect or preserve specific areas of land, buildings, or chattels.

Section 4: Grants

1. The Secretary of State may pay grants to contribute to the funding of activities or projects that are intended—

a) to benefit communities that are, or are likely to be, disrupted by the carrying out of relevant high-speed railway works,

b) to benefit the environment in any area that is, or is likely to be, affected by the carrying out of such works, or

c) to support businesses and other economic activities in areas that are, or are likely to be, disrupted by the carrying out of such works.

2) “Relevant high-speed railway works” means—

a) the works authorised by this Act, and

b) works in connection with a Bill or proposed Bill to authorise works for a high-speed railway line connecting with High Speed 4.

Section 5: Amendment of Plans

1. The Secretary of State may, by regulation using the affirmative procedure, amend the stations and tracks as laid out in Schedule One and the map of reference deposited in the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments alongside this legislation, unless—

a) The works in question have already been completed.

Section 6: London and Cornwall Railway Ltd.

1. London and Cornwall Railway Ltd. will be a statutory corporation under the Department for Transport, responsible for managing and overseeing the construction, financing and other aspects of the project
2. The Secretary of State will act as Chairman of the Board of London and Cornwall Railway Ltd.
3. The Secretary of State will be responsible for appointing officers to the Board of London and Cornwall Ltd., including:

a) A Chief Executive Officer, responsible for overseeing the whole of the corporation

b) A Chief Financial Officer, responsible for overseeing the finances of the corporation

c) A Chief Operations Officer, responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the corporation

3) Any further officers may be appointed to the Board at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer

4) The Secretary of State reserves the right to terminate the employment of any of officers, complying with employment law at the time of the termination

5) London and Cornwall Railway Ltd. will be responsible for producing quarterly and annual reports on the financial situation of the corporation

(7) A person must not be appointed under this section unless the Secretary is satisfied that:

(a) the person has appropriate qualifications, knowledge, skills or experience; and

(b) the selection of the person for the appointment is the result of a process that:

(i) included public advertising of the position. and

(ii) was merit-based.

Section 6: Construction

1. The Secretary of State is obliged to work with Network Rail and provide the necessary funding for all costs related to the construction and maintenance of High Speed 4 infrastructure and buildings
2. The Secretary of State will open a bidding process for construction contractors to form a comprehensive conglomerate under the control of High Speed Four Ltd.
3. Electrification will be provided by 25kV 50Hz AC overhead wires, with necessary infrastructure to be provided

Section 7: Rolling Stock

1. Two types of rolling stock shall be purchased to serve the railway:

a) Between 50 and 60 electric multiple units capable of achieving a top speed of 225 miles per hour or 360 kilometres per hour

b) Between 25 and 35 electric multiple units capable of achieving a top speed of 125 miles per hour or 200 kilometres per hour, with capability of running on 750V DC third rail at a top speed of 100 miles per hour or 160 kilometres per hour

Section 8: Short Title, Extent and Commencement

1. This act may be cited as the High Speed Rail (London - Cornwall) Act 2023.
2. This act shall extend to England.
3. This act will come into effect 6 months after receiving Royal Assent.

S C H E D U L E O N E

Projects relating to High Speed Four

1. The High Speed 4 project shall consist of five phases—

a) Phase 1 shall consist of the track between Clapham Junction station in the London Borough of Wandsworth and a station located at Watts Park in Southampton in Hampshire with intermediate stations at Heathrow Airport in the London Borough of Hillingdon, Guildford in Surrey and Southampton Airport Parkway at Eastleigh in Hampshire, as well as spurs to the Great Western Main Line at Slough and a Motive Power Depot at Colnbrook in Berkshire and a by-pass line in Guildford, as laid out in the map of reference deposited in the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments alongside this legislation, or any amended version thereof.

b) Phase 2 shall consist of the track between Clapham Junction station in the London Borough of Wandsworth and Waterloo station in the London Borough of Lambeth, and the track between a station located at Watts Park in Southampton in Hampshire and St Davids station in Exeter in Devon, with a spur to the Great Western Main Line at Exeter with an intermediate station at Yeovil Junction station in Somerset with a by-pass line to the south of this station and a Motive Power Depot at Eastleigh in Hampshire, as laid out in the map of reference deposited in the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments alongside this legislation, or any amended version thereof.

c) Phase 3 shall consist of the track between St Davids station in Exeter in Devon and a new station at Exeter Street in Plymouth in Devon, as laid out in the map of reference deposited in the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments alongside this legislation, or any amended version thereof.

d) Phase 4 shall consist of the track between a new station at Exeter Street in Plymouth in Devon and Truro station in Truro in Cornwall, with a connection to the Cornish Main Line beyond Truro station, as laid out in the map of reference deposited in the office of the Clerk of the Parliaments alongside this legislation, or any amended version thereof.

2) The timetable for completion of the construction phases is as follows—

a) Phase 1 shall be completed between January 1st 2028 and December 31st 2030

b) Phase 2 shall be completed between January 1st 2030 and December 31st 2032

c) Phase 3 shall be completed between January 1st 2032 and December 31st 2033

d) Phase 4 shall be completed between January 1st 2033 and December 31st 2035

Explanatory Notes:

• Phase 1 of this Act has been costed at a total of £2,430,792,000 over 2 years.
• Phase 2 of this Act has been costed at a total of £3,199,400,000 over 2 years.
• Phase 3 of this Act has been costed at a total of £1,252,900,000 over 2 years.
• Phase 4 of this Act has been costed at a total of £1,521,500,000 over 2 years.
• The total cost of £8,404,592,000 shall be spread over 8 years.

Appendix: Link to the HS4 route map.

This Bill was written by The Most Hon. Marquess of St Ives KBE MVO CT PC, Deputy Prime Minister and The Rt. Hon Baroness Finn of Willenhall CMG MVO PC, on behalf of His Majesty’s 33rd Government and is based on the High Speed 3 Act 2022.

• Cost Reference
  

Opening Speech by Baroness Finn of Willenhall:

Deputy Speaker,

High Speed Railways have been becoming more and more common in the United Kingdom over the last few years. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link, also known as High Speed 1, has massively decreased travel times from London to the continent by rail, as well as turning St Pancras station from a relatively minor terminus to a transport hub for London, surpassing its much larger and historically important neighbour, King’s Cross.

Then came High Speed 2 - a vast project to build new high speed links between London, Birmingham, the East Midlands, Manchester, Leeds and Scotland, dramatically cutting travel times between these locations. High Speed 3 will create high speed links across the North of England, linking Liverpool, Warrington, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, York and Hull together.

And now, Deputy Speaker, the government is proposing High Speed 4 - a brand new high speed rail linking London to Cornwall and halving the journey time between the capital and Truro from 5 hours to 2-and-a-half hours.

High Speed 4 will feature 271 miles of high speed track with ten stations. Three of these stations will be in London. The first will serve the busiest railway station in not only London, but the whole of the UK - London Waterloo. This will provide a location close to central London, being just across the Thames from Westminster and providing London Underground connections across London, including to the major financial areas of the City and Canary Wharf and culture centres like Soho, as well as being the hub for commuter services in south-west London, and long distance services to Portsmouth, Exeter and Weymouth. This will involve building a new high speed rail concourse alongside the existing Waterloo station with 6 underground platforms and a connection to the Waterloo & City line on the Underground.

The second station will be Clapham Junction, 4 miles from Waterloo and will be the initial London terminus for HS4 upon completion of Phase 1. This is a major rail hub in South London, being the busiest station in the country in terms of number of trains passing through it. The station itself will see major improvements, including a new entrance and an underground concourse to link the existing station to HS4 and a proposed extension to the Northern Line from Battersea Power Station to improve Clapham Junction’s connections into central London. The station will be served by 4 platforms.

The third London station will be Heathrow Central, serving the major transport hub that is Heathrow Airport. This will not only provide a new connection to Britain’s busiest and most important airport, but also connections to the Underground, Crossrail and a major bus station. Entrance/exits to the 4 underground platforms at Heathrow will be built in Terminals 2 and 3, the bus station and connections to the Piccadilly line and National Rail platforms will be built.

The last segment we have decided to add is the long mooted Heathrow western rail link, with an underground flying triangle junction creating links from the high speed line to the Great Western Main Line at Langley, with this link also creating a link to a new motive power depot at Colnbrook to service some of the new rolling stock to be used on the high speed railway.

The entire London section of the railway will be tunnelled in order to reduce disruption as much as possible, with two ventilation stations built in Barnes and Twickenham to provide suitable air flow and fire safety for the railway whilst underground, as well as serving as emergency alighting points in case of an emergency situation on a train, such as a fire.

Following the London section, the mainline will head south, exiting the tunnel at Egham and going into a cutting before entering a short tunnel to take the line under the village of Thorpe Green, the M3 motorway and the Chertsey branch line before resurfacing for a short distance before diving into a second long tunnel to travel under Woking towards Guildford.

The line will join the alignment of the Portsmouth Direct Line in a tunnel before splitting in two in the Stoughton area of Guildford, with one line continuing in a tunnel to bypass Guildford and the second line surfacing south of Stoke New Cemetery and following the alignment of the existing railway before crossing over the line on a short viaduct and entering Guildford station. There will be two new platforms for the high speed trains and major improvements to the existing station, including a new concourse.

The railway will then continue south and then west, heading into a tunnel adjacent to the current tunnel in Guildford before joining with the bypass tunnel and resurfacing south of Guildford. A short cut-and-cover tunnel will be constructed to take the line under A3 Guildford and Godalming Bypass road as part of the railway’s alignment.

The alignment will take the line south-west entirely above ground, with an almost entirely straight section between Newton Valence and Marwell in Hampshire where trains will be able to reach the desired 225 mph top speed. There will be a short tunnel to take the railway under Bishopstoke and Eastleigh rail depot, with an underground junction to a branch connecting to the Eastleigh to Fareham line and a new Motive Power Depot at Eastleigh where a majority of rolling stock will be stored and serviced. The link to the Eastleigh to Fareham line will allow classic-compatible services to head towards Portsmouth, with an AC/DC crossover point at two new platforms at Hedge End station.

The next station along the railway will be at Southampton Airport Parkway, located adjacent to the current station using land of the University of Southampton’s Wide Lane Sports Centre. The 2 platforms and 2 through tracks will be located in a cutting between two tunnel portals. There will also be a new station building concourse linking the HS4 platforms with the existing station and the airport terminal.

Following Southampton Airport Parkway will be a mostly cut-and-cover tunnel to take the station into Southampton proper. The line will parallel the South Western Main Line as far as St Denys, where a ventilation shaft will be located before swooping down into a brand new station located on the site Watts and Andrews Parks called Southampton Brunswick, which will be the initial southern terminus of the railway upon completion of Phase 1. 6 platforms will be constructed below ground level between tunnel portals to allow the railway to continue southbound.

Phase 2 will see the railway extend from Clapham Junction to Waterloo, as I described earlier and from Southampton to Exeter St Davids, with one intermediate stop at Yeovil Junction.

The first part will be a tunnel to take the railway under Southampton Docks and the River Test, which will exist on the other side of the river, just south of Totton before continuing west through the New Forest towards Yeovil in a largely overground alignment. Upon approaching Yeovil, the railway will split with the line heading straight onward being the bypass line for Yeovil for non-stopping services and the line diverging north to be 2 new platforms at Yeovil Junction in a more traditional railway station style, with two side platforms.

Following Yeovil, the railway will follow the route of the West of England Main Line through the Blackdown Hills before arriving into Exeter from the north on a viaduct to navigate the lands around the Rivers Exe and Creedy. To the north of Exeter will be a triangle junction to the Great Western Main Line, allowing services to go to and from Bristol in both directions. At Exeter St Davids, there will be a new station accommodating 4 platforms in an island and 2 side platforms configuration on the site of Exeter DMU depot, which will be re-sited to a new location on the edge of Exeter.

Phase 3 will see the railway extend from Exeter to Plymouth. Following Exeter St Davids, the railway will go over a short viaduct over the River Exe, turning west and diving into a tunnel to take the railway under the Redhills area of the city before re-emerging once clear of the development. The line will continue south and west to avoid Dartmoor and will parallel the A38 Devon Expressway to approach Plymouth.

South of Plympton, the line will head into an s-shaped tunnel to take the railway into Plymouth before emerging on the site of Liara diesel depot and along the partially disused alignment to the site of Plymouth Friary station, on the site of the long abandoned and demolished station of the same name. The station will be at ground level and will occupy the site of a small leisure park.

Plymouth Friary station will feature 6 platforms, 4 being terminal platforms and 2 being intended as through platforms to allow services to continue towards Truro upon completion of Phase 4, as well as a grand station concourse to welcome people into Plymouth and an accompanying bus station to allow onward journeys.

Phase 4 will allow for onward services towards Truro. The railway will dive into a tunnel to take the railway under Plymouth town centre and the River Tamar before resurfacing on the west side of the Tamar and continuing on a largely above-ground alignment, featuring viaducts over the delta of the Rivers Lypher and Tiddy at St Germans, the Looe River Delta and the Shirehall Moor at Lostwithiel before weaving its way around the clay pits around St Dennis before arriving into Truro, following the River Allen and diving under the Moresk Viaduct and following its alignment to its end and then crossing over the railway and then following the short Carvedras viaduct into Truro station.

Truro station will feature only 2 platforms and a covered car park, which will link onto the Cornish Main Line to allow services onward to Penzance.

Deputy Speaker, this project will symbolise the commitment of this government to serve every part of the UK and will ensure a strong future for the south west of England. It will halve journey times between London and Cornwall from 4 hours to little over 2 hours and will provide high speed rail connectivity across the counties of the south west. Deputy Speaker, I commend this bill to the House.

This division will end at 10pm on 6th September.