HS2 rail line could include tunnel under Chiltern Hills

 

The transport secretary, Justine Greening, is expected to announce a delay to the decision on the HS2 project. Photograph: Ian Nicholson/PA

The government is considering digging a new tunnel under the Chiltern Hills as it looks again at plans for the HS2 high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham.

The transport secretary, Justine Greening, is expected to announce a delay next week in the decision on the divisive £32bn project.

The proposals have proved controversial among MPs whose constituencies straddle the planned route.

Officials in the Department for Transport have now reportedly found an extra £500m to pay for a 1.5-mile tunnel under the Chilterns, west of Amersham, to stop the line scarring the landscape.

Opponents, who say the line would damage an area of outstanding natural beauty, have welcomed the development.

The 100-mile rail link, which would be built between 2016 and 2026, aims to cut the London-to-Birmingham journey time from 1 hour 22 minutes to 49 minutes.

Greening had been expected to decide whether to approve the scheme before 20 December.

But the verdict has now been delayed until mid-January to allow for a feasibility study as well as a study of the environmental impact of the proposed route.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said the secretary of state was expected to provide an update on the timings of the HS2 project shortly.

The decision to look again at the route follows a report by the Commons transport committee last month, which suggested another look at the impact and benefits of HS2.

The government said any changes would be funded by savings made elsewhere on the route.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has welcomed plans for more tunnelling but said it was concerned the additional funding would potentially come from cutting back on mitigation measures elsewhere on the scheme.

Ralph Smyth of the CPRE said the alteration would be "something to help swallow the bitterness".

He added: "Just because countryside is not nationally designated does not mean it should not be valued and protected.

"In the context of more road building and aviation expansion, we support the principle of investing in rail. The question is the detail of how it is going to be done."