HS2 is one step closer to being delivered after a motion was tabled in parliament instructing the HS2 Select Committee to consider more than 120 changes the government wishes to make to the HS2 hybrid Bill.
Amendments include altering the proposals for the relocation of the existing Heathrow Express depot at Old Oak Common to Langley near Slough and directing the rail under the A38.
These amendments are the result of discussions between HS2 Ltd and communities along the London-Birmingham route.
Transport minister Robert Goodwill said: “This motion is a major step forward both in terms of getting HS2 through parliament and getting this vital railway built.
“The changes to the Bill show the government is listening to communities along the HS2 route. By working together, we can ensure this vital railway is designed in the right way, so we have spades in the ground in 2017 as planned.”
The motion will be debated in parliament. The amendments will then be deposited and anyone affected by the changes will be able to petition against them.
A consultation period will also start so that members of the public can have their say.
The hybrid Bill remains on track to achieve royal assent by the end of 2016.
