Express & Star

Years of work to travel 7 miles in 2 minutes as HS2 campaigners reveal disruption

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Four thousand extra journeys will be made by trucks, cars, and construction vehicles every day for up to three years to build a seven-mile stretch of HS2 in Staffordshire.

moreThese are just some of the realities the Express & Star can reveal relating to the devastation that critics claim will be caused by the £50 billion project.

And for passengers on the high speed line it will take less than two minutes to complete the seven-mile stretch at 225mph.

Work on the first phase of the line between Whittington and Handsacre includes building seven viaducts, 12 bridges and underpasses, six miles of embankments, 1.2 miles of cuttings, 28 satellite construction sites for hundreds of workers, three major sites to dump dug-up earth, and numerous road and footpath diversions and closures.

Barn owl roosting sites, rare newt species and otters have been spotted in the area which will be ripped up by the line.

Campaigners warned there will be more to come, as the environmental impact of the second phase of the line, which will cut from Lichfield to Swynnerton, is yet to be revealed.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust says more than 27 wildlife sites across the county are threatened by the route of the two HS2 phases.

Ancient woodlands, wetlands and heathland will also be affected.

Documents estimate that 2.1 million tons of material and earth will be excavated.

After – an artist's impression showing how Fradley could look with the new high speed trains running through it

And there will be five construction compounds – three on Cappers Lane, one on Lichfield Road and one on Darnford Lane.

Each of these compounds will have between 20-30 staff based there, a total of 100 to 150 people.

The compounds as well as staff will store fuel and construction materials.

There will also be permanent power transformers on Cappers Lane and the A51.

The historic Whittington Heath Golf Club is to be sliced in half with its Victorian clubhouse bulldozed.

The nearby Darnford Moors Golf Club will also be affected by construction works.

Two major embankments – one 2,723ft long and 32ft high will run from Whittington Heath Golf Club over Lichfield Road.

The other runs north west of Darnford Lane joining the Cappers Lane viaduct and is 705ft long and 47ft high.

The Cappers Lane viaduct will be 705ft long and more than 54ft high. It means the Lichfield Cruising Club facilities would be closed for the duration of the works

The report from HS2 Ltd says dozens of houses will have 'significant sound impact', according to HS2 Ltd.

Once built, HS2 is planned to carry up to 24 trains an hour – 12 in each directions – on this stretch passing non-stop through Lichfield at speeds up to 225mph.

In total, HS2 will cut through 45 miles of Staffordshire countryside.

Work could start in 2017 with the whole of the route operational by 2033.

Joe Rukin, campaign manager for Stop HS2, said: "The environmental impact of HS2 will be devastating. In just this seven-mile section of Staffordshire alone you can see the extent of the damage it will cause."

Ben Ruse, Lead Spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: "We have been very clear about any potential impact that increased traffic flow may have during construction of HS2.

"Robust assessment of studies has constantly shown not to result in a significant increase in congestion."

A spokesman for the Woodland Trust said: "Our immediate concern is that in threatening ancient woods, the current proposals do not achieve all that they could. So far our analysis shows that the route will directly affect 33 ancient woods. Loss of connectivity of habitats and the noise and vibration associated with high speed trains will have a large impact on adjacent habitats; a further 34 ancient woods are within 200m of the route and will be put at risk from the proposals.

"The Woodland Trust believes that ancient woodland is irreplaceable and no mitigation exists that can replace it or make up for its loss."

Network Rail's Simon Kirby has been appointed as the new chief executive of HS2 Ltd and will earn £750,000 a year.

He starts his role in September. The move has caused controversy because he will be paid six times what his female predecessor Alison Munro receives.