Royal Mail stands firm about impact of HS2 on operations

The Post and Parcel website reports that Royal Mail has raised objections to the route of the planned High Speed 2 rail route from London to Birmingham.

HS2, as the £43bn project is known, proposes a high-speed rail link between London’s Euston station and the city of Birmingham, with a second phase running up to Manchester and Leeds. Construction is planned to start in 2017, with the first phase open in 2026 and the second in 2032.

"The company said three major delivery offices covering a “very substantial” part of London would be subject of compulsory purchase orders, along with the Greenford Mail Centre in the London Borough of Ealing and the Castle Bromwich Delivery Office in Birmingham.

"The Greenford Parcel Sort Centre, a leased building, would also be affected by the rail project, and represents a key part of Royal Mail’s operations during the pre-Christmas peak parcel season, handling 15m parcels in November and December.

"Royal Mail said that without sufficient mitigation measures, it would not be able to carry out its statutory duty to deliver the mail if the HS2 project goes ahead in current form.

"The loss of the Camden Delivery Office to a compulsory purchase order would cause a particular headache, Royal Mail said, because similar sites 'are not generally available' in North London. Talks with the HS2 project managers are ongoing, Royal Mail said, but the mail company has failed to identify an alternative site, and said that it would not vacate its current delivery office unless an alternative site is found, even under a compulsory purchase order."

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