HS2 supports 4,000 extra jobs

HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson unveils a plaque at Crewe station

New research suggests High Speed 2 could support more than 4,000 jobs than previously forecast, including an additional 1,500 on Phase 2a between the West Midlands and Crewe.

High Speed 2 Ltd’s Building the Skills to Deliver HS2 Phase One and 2a - supported by independent research - now forecasts that building the railway will support more than 34,000 jobs.

It already supports around 16,000 jobs, with more than 2,000 businesses having delivered work on the project, 70% of them being small and medium sized enterprises and 97% of them are based in the UK.

High Speed 2 Minister Andrew Stephenson visited Crewe station on 24 August at the announcement of the findings, and Network Rail explained the upgrades in the area planned for the arrival of HS2 services later in the decade.