HS2 Research

We decided to make an extract of a political documentary on HS2 so we needed to find more information from reliable sources so that we could relay back to the audience the important facts. We needed enough information so that we could fill the 5 minutes and a little bit more so we had plenty to play around with. However as we are only making an extract, we decided that we shouldn't overload the audience with information so we fitted in voxpops and an interview with an expert in between.

The main sources we used were the BBC and Wikipedia. We used two sources so that we could cross reference the information being given so that the real facts were being given to the audience. Once finding the information, we used to create a script for the voice over. Below is information sheet we created on HS2 from our research.

• High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway in the United Kingdom linking London, Birmingham, the East Midlands, Leeds and Manchester.
• It would be the second high-speed rail line in Britain, after High Speed 1 (HS1) which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. 
• The line is to be built in a "Y" configuration, with London on the bottom of the "Y", Birmingham at the centre, Leeds at the top right and Manchester at the top left. 
• Work on the first phase is scheduled to begin in 2017, reaching Birmingham by 2026, Crewe on the left leg of the "Y" by 2027, and fully completed by 2033.
• The line will be used intensively with 15 trains per hour travelling to and from Euston.
• The initial plan is for a new railway line between London and the West Midlands carrying 400m-long (1,300ft) trains with as many as 1,100 seats per train.
• They would operate at speeds of up to 250mph - faster than any current operating speed in Europe - and would run as often as 14 times per hour in each direction.
• The first phase of the £56bn railway is due to open in December 2026, with trains to travel at high speed between London and Birmingham before continuing on the existing West Coast Main Line
• The Department for Transport says the project will cut Birmingham-London journey times from 1hr 21min to 49min
• HS2 will create around 25,000 jobs and fuel economic benefits worth over £103 billion to the UK.
• The government says its proposals "assume a fares structure in line with that of the existing railway" and that HS2 could generate sufficient demand and revenue without needing to charge premium fares. It estimates total fare revenues of up to £34bn over a 60-year period.
• Places further away from the line, like Wales, aren't expected to see any economic benefits and could lose jobs as a result
• Butterflies, bats and birds. The Wildlife Trusts say both phases directly affect nature reserves and wildlife sites which could lead to a net loss in biodiversity
• The Chilterns, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire - here, historic buildings are at risk of damage or demolition, and remaining residents will face noise pollution
• Some residents in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, will lose their homes. Sixteen of 216 homes on a housing estate in Mexborough will be demolished
• Thousands of people living in Camden, north-west London, face years of disruption during phase one. Parts of the Regent's Park Estate will also be demolished
• Pressure group Stop HS2 argues that England's north and Midlands will actually lose out to London, rather than benefit, and that projections for its success do not take into account competition from conventional rail.
• HS2 Action Alliance claim more than 70% of the 30,000 jobs created around HS2 stations in phase one will be in London rather than the West Midlands.