MPs have voted to implement legislation that gives the ‘green light’ to the first stage of the HS2 high-speed rail link, which will run between London and Birmingham. The House of Commons agreed by a vote of 350 to 34 to enforce legislation as part of the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill. The Bill now moves to the House of Lords.

The agreement releases funds for the Government to pay for land surveys in relation to the work, to acquire land needed for the route and to ‘grow’ the fund required to compensate people affected by the project. The Government says that the value of the project to the West Midlands economy has been estimated at up to £3.1 billion per year.

The House of Commons vote took place only a few days before hundreds of supply-chain companies attended an event at the International Conference Centre in Birmingham to hear how they can benefit from the high-speed rail project.

This event was organised by HS2 Ltd, the Government company responsible for the project. Its commercial director, Beth West, said that, “to ensure costs on the project are kept to a minimum, it is vital that suppliers learn all they can about the programme”.

She added: “HS2 will provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive growth, generate jobs, develop skills and keep our country moving, as demand for passenger and freight capacity on our railways continues to increase.”