Environment
An environmental, social and economically integrated approach to development that meets present needs without compromising the environment for future generations.
Environment Resources
Resources include papers, videos, research summaries and good practice documents produced by authors from across the HS2 Family to capture learning, good practice and innovation from the HS2 programme
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Protection of Great Crested Newts on HS2 when using trackway
This is a summary of good practice and lessons learnt from the Phase One Enabling Works and Phase 2a Ground Investigation and Early Environmental Works about how best to deal with ensuring the protection of amphibians on a major project. The lessons learnt focus on the use of trackway and amphibians, particularly Great Crested Newts.…
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Bromford Tunnel extension – design and environmental benefits with no additional land take
The extension of Bromford tunnel by 3km represents a major design change; how was this achieved without additional land take whilst also bringing wider benefits? Although an extended tunnel reduces the overall surface-level footprint of the High Speed Two (HS2) scheme, the corresponding additional shaft infrastructure, relocated portal and significant changes to construction logistics, bring…
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Semi-automated construction dust risk assessment tool
Risk assessment methodologies have been published by industry bodies to predict dust risk from construction activities. However, they involve simultaneous evaluation of multiple factors and variables, so these assessments are often outsourced to external consultants with the inherent implications for cost and waiting times. A semi-automated risk assessment tool for construction dust was implemented in…
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Landscape led earthworks on major infrastructure projects
Landscape earthworks form a major design element on the HS2 project, integrating and screening the railway and infrastructure within the landscape. These earthworks are a critical component of the scheme, forming embankments, cuttings and other landforms required to construct the route. A landscape–led earthworks design approach is vital in achieving an integrated scheme that responds…
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Dust Suppression Trials – reduction in fugitive dust emission from construction site haul roads using water additives
A review of construction activities within High Speed Two (HS2) construction sites determined that haul roads are a major contributor to fugitive dust emissions, and can have significant detrimental effects for nearby ecological sites and people living and working in the vicinity of large construction sites. Significant quantities of water are used in the construction…
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BBV’s carbon reduction journey towards the 50% reduction target
Balfour Beatty VINCI Joint Venture (BBV) is contributing to the “cleaner, greener future” in High Speed 2 (HS2)’s Net Zero Carbon Plan by striving to reach a 50% reduction compared to the 4,148,208 tCO2e baseline – currently having reached -43.4%. To map this journey, BBV uses the PAS2080 framework and assesses its whole life carbon…
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Transformation of London Clay into construction resources: Calcined London Clay (CLC) as Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) in concrete mixes
This study has shown that London Clay, that is moderately reactive, can be successfully processed into Calcined London Clay (CLC) to be used as an alternative cementitious material in concrete. Concrete mixes containing CLC have been tested and have demonstrated robust performance in terms of both fresh and hardened properties. Building upon prior relevant work,…
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Decarbonisation construction activities – electric piling rig
This paper details the approach taken to developing an innovative electric powered piling rig as part of the approach to achieving a diesel-free site on Euston Approaches as part of the HS2 project. This was the first electric piling rig in the UK to be implemented, operating on a renewable energy electricity tariff, and resulted…
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Leveraging Lifetime Cycle Assessment (LCA) for smarter carbon reduction
This article explores HS2’s approach for carbon reduction, emphasising their collaborative partnership with Cerclos in implementing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, through the eTool software. HS2 and Cerclos have worked closely to engage stakeholders, improve software to streamline processes and enhance accuracy in LCA results. This strategic partnership offers valuable insights for stakeholders seeking effective…
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A guide to HS2’s environmental assessment of transport impacts
The scale of HS2’s environmental assessment is unprecedented. Fundamental to this is understanding the scheme impacts on Traffic and Transport, from local footpath changes to major road and rail improvements. Over the past decade HS2 has led an innovative and comprehensive approach to assessing these impacts, in collaboration with numerous industry specialists. This paper, produced…
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HS2 design approach to green infrastructure
This paper explores the challenges of fragmentation of green infrastructure (GI) and sustainable design solutions to preserve, defragment and strengthen GI. These approaches are explained through a series of HS2 examples of multi-functional green bridges and viaducts. The HS2 case studies used are the Calvert Green Bridges, Edgcote Viaduct and Balsall Common Viaduct. The paper…
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Grassland translocation – successes and solutions
Grendon and Doddershall Meadows Local Wildlife Site (LWS) is located just over 1km west of Quainton in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The LWS citation states that the 24.5 hectare (ha) area was designated due to its large complex of lowland meadow habitat supporting plant species unusual in Buckinghamshire, namely sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica) and fen bedstraw (Galium uliginosum).…
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Environmental DNA surveys for great crested newts – time for regulatory changes?
Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring became an accepted means of surveying for great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) in 2014, following the publication of a DEFRA-funded trial, and it is now used routinely throughout the UK. Since its inception, it has been debated whether the relatively short great crested newt eDNA survey season could be extended beyond…
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Artificial badger sett design
To mitigate for the loss of badger setts, closed due to construction of the scheme, over 30 artificial badger setts have been constructed across Phase One under a licence from Natural England. HS2 now have at least two years of monitoring for artificial setts and have reviewed data from both the design stage and post-works…
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The cutting edge (a resilient plant procurement strategy supporting HS2’s Green Corridor)
High Speed Two (HS2) is a catalyst for growth across the UK. Along with this comes not just environmentally responsible landscape and ecological design but, offers a once in a generation opportunity to secure a green corridor that fuses the railway with its contextual landscape. Central to delivering this is HS2’s Plant Procurement Strategy. This…
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Designing with landscape maintenance in mind
The HS2 project is delivering built infrastructure and natural environments on an unparalleled scale. The project affords a once in a generation opportunity to deliver nationally significant infrastructure that will respond to local landscape character and demonstrate an innovative and environmentally-sensitive design approach. The project has been developed to minimise it’s impacts on the surrounding…
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Driving efficiency and sustainability in material reuse through GeoBIM
With over 21 million cubic metres of material (equivalent to 8,400 Olympic swimming pools) earmarked to be excavated and moved across the 90 km of the northern section of the High Speed Two (HS2) Phase One route, an accurate understanding of the material types for the re-use of materials in earthworks is a prerequisite for…
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Reducing emissions in construction: Non-road mobile machinery retrofit
The latest London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory published by the Greater London Authority, indicated that Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) is a significant source of air pollution. This poses health risks and contributes to poor local air quality. To reduce emissions linked to construction activities, HS2 has set stringent engine emission standards for all plant and machinery…
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Ancient woodland soils translocation
The construction of HS2 will affect ancient woodland sites across Phase One and Phase 2. Translocation of ancient woodland soils to a receptor site to rescue habitats that would otherwise be lost is one of a suite of proposed compensation measures. HS2 has been strongly challenged regarding the effects of the project on ancient woodland…
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Environmental management: supply chain engagement
The Enabling Works Contract (EWC) on the northern section of High Speed Two (HS2) Phase One is delivered by the Laing O'Rourke Murphy joint venture (LMJV). LMJV is a contract management organisation (CMO) that manages the delivery of work by its supply chain. The contract is structured by almost 100 separate work packages that are…
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Monitoring the quality of surface water during the HS2 Enabling Works, Area South
Many watercourses in London are historically culverted and built over. The main watercourses that needed to be monitored during the High Speed Two (HS2) Enabling Works Contract (EWC) were between West Ruislip and Newyears Green. To ensure water quality was not affected by construction works, a risk-based monitoring strategy was designed for the western watercourses…
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BREEAM Infrastructure
This paper details the approach taken by the Enabling Works Contractor of the southern section of High Speed Two (HS2) Phase One to achieve an 'Excellent' score for the BREAAM Infrastructure Interim Assessment. It provides recommendations for how this learning can be applied to other similar contracts on HS2 and wider industry.
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CSjv approach to land quality, materials and waste
The approach that Costain Skanska joint venture (CSjv) took to meet environmental standards and requirements on High Speed Two (HS2) was highly successful and a result of excellent initial understanding and planning in the early phases of the enabling works. This paper focuses on land quality management, regarding which CSjv took the rare decision to…
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Looking further to fill our hard-to-fill vacancies
The Change 100 programme, run by Leonard Cheshire, provides valuable opportunities and learning for both industry and students or recent graduates with long-term health conditions or disabilities. Candidates gain paid experience, confidence, networks and skills as they begin their careers, and employers are granted access to additional talent pools. Participating in this programme provided a…
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Decarbonising the EWC
Carbon management on the High Speed Two (HS2) Enabling Works Contract (EWC) was the first of its kind for the industry: it was one of the first projects to request PAS 2080 certification, achieving it in 2019. In total, carbon savings of over 4800 tonnes of CO2e were delivered through the decarbonisation of operational activities.…
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Pass-by noise assessment of high speed units by means of acoustic measurements in a perimeter close to the train
Characterization of rolling stock from the perspective of exterior noise emission is typically carried out by following the technical procedures detailed in the international standard ISO 3095. Whilst this standard can be considered adequate for conventional rolling stock, the advent of very high speed railway transport has introduced a number of challenges in terms of…
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A simplified model for calculating the insertion gain of track support systems using the finite difference method
In the procurement of track support systems for railways planned in the vicinity of receptors sensitive to groundborne noise and vibration it can be necessary to specify parameters of components of the system in order to ensure that its in-service performance will deliver the required level of mitigation against the effects of groundborne noise and…
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Embedding circular thinking in a major UK infrastructure project
High Speed Two Limited (HS2 Ltd) has identified that there is a strong alignment between the High Speed Two strategic goals and potential circular economy benefits and has therefore adopted a holistic approach to realising these benefits in the delivery of the UK’s new high-speed rail network. This paper describes the work undertaken to date,…
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HS2 railway, UK–route development to the hybrid bill: the environmental statement
The environmental statement (ES) for the first phase of the UK's High Speed Two high-speed railway (London to West Midlands) was submitted with the hybrid bill for the project in November 2013. It described the phase one scheme both during construction and operation, detailed the main alternatives considered and reported the likely significant environmental effects…
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Carbon dioxide management in a major UK infrastructure project
High Speed Two, a planned high-speed railway in the UK, could play a key role in reducing national greenhouse gas emissions. The project has adopted whole-life carbon dioxide emissions reduction as a core project value and is using the PAS 2080 specification to implement carbon dioxide management. Effective leadership and governance, metrics, innovation and standards,…
