High Speed 2

High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line and network of passenger train services in Great Britain. The new railway line, which is currently under construction in England, is to run between the West Midlands and London, with a spur to Birmingham. A network of train services will use the new line and existing conventional track to reach their destinations in the Midlands, North West England, and Scotland. HS2 is to be Britain's second purpose-built high-speed line after High Speed 1, which connects London to the Channel Tunnel. The majority of the project is planned to be completed between 2029 and 2033.

The new track will run between London Euston and a junction with the West Coast Main Line at Handsacre, near Lichfield in southern Staffordshire. There will be new stations at Old Oak Common in northwest London; Birmingham Interchange, near Solihull; and Birmingham city centre. The trains will run at a maximum speed of 360 km/h (225 mph), and operate on both HS2 track and existing conventional track.

The length of the new railway line has been reduced substantially since it was first announced in 2013; it was originally planned to split into eastern and western branches north of Birmingham Interchange. The eastern branch would have connected to the Midland Main Line and East Coast Main Line, with a branch to a terminus in Leeds, and the western branch would have had connections to the West Coast Main Line at Crewe and south of Wigan, and a branch to a terminus in Manchester. Between November 2021 and October 2023 the project was progressively cut until only the London to Handsacre and Birmingham section remained.

The project has both supporters and opponents. Supporters of HS2 believe that the additional capacity provided will accommodate passenger numbers rising to pre-COVID-19 levels while driving a further modal shift to rail. Opponents believe that the project is neither environmentally nor financially sustainable.