Executive summary

HS2 is a high-speed railway system that aims to link major cities in the UK, including
London, West Midlands, Crewe, Manchester, East Midlands, Sheffield, Leeds, and the
Northern Powerhouse Rail link. This project is the UK's largest infrastructure
endeavor, with HS2 Limited and the Department for Transport leading the effort. HS2
Limited is a company established by the UK government to specialize in constructing
high-speed railways. The HS2 project's objectives include creating 30,000 jobs,
reducing traffic congestion, eliminating hundreds of thousands of trucks on the road,
and improving air quality. Nevertheless, there are still practical implementation
difficulties and obstacles to overcome in HS2's execution.
 content
1.Brief overview of the project  2
2. Project stakeholder analysis 3
2.1 Stakeholder analyze table 4
2.2 Stakeholder classification 4
2.2.1 Stakeholder with high power and high interest    5
2.2.2 Stakeholder with high power but low interest 5
2.2.3 Stakeholder with low power but high interest 5
2.2.4 Stakeholder with low power and low interest 6

3. How the project was managed 7

4. Critical analysis of the project outcome 7
1.1 Brief overview of the project 

     HS2 is a high-speed railway system that will link major UK cities, including London,
West Midlands, Crewe, Manchester, East Midlands, Sheffield, Leeds, and the
Northern Powerhouse Rail. It is set to be the UK's largest infrastructure project and
will be developed by HS2 Limited, a government-owned company specializing in
high-speed rail, and the Department for Transport under the Connect UK initiative.
The project is expected to create around 30,000 jobs, reduce congestion on the
roads, and improve air quality by removing hundreds of thousands of lorries from
the highways.The idea for HS2 emerged as most of the main lines on the country's
rail network are centuries old and have seen a significant rise in rail journeys over
the last 20 years. However, despite more than £7.2 billion being spent on road
infrastructure in the last decade, the expected increase in capacity has not been
realized. If the existing rail network is to be renovated, it may lead to the closure of
some aging lines, potentially impacting people living nearby and the passengers
using them. HS2 will cover a total of 330 miles and is expected to carry over 300,000
passengers per day, doubling the capacity between Manchester and London. The
project is also expected to reduce overcrowding and emissions, with all trains
running on zero-carbon energy. The railway system is set to generate £20 billion in
economic value for domestic tourism and enhance travel to key cities along the
network. Nevertheless, HS2 faces some difficulties and obstacles in its
implementation.
 2. Project stakeholder analysis

2.1 Stakeholder analyze table

Regulatory Agency Allan Cook, Chairman HS2 Ltd

Other government parties Department for Transport (sponsor)

Government Local Media (newspaper…)

Environmentalists
Conservationists
 Local Councils
Archaeologists Local Residents
Local business and landowners

Engineers

Contractors
Special interest groups

Railway Industry Association European Rail Freight

Association
Other Rail networks

Transport businesses

Material Suppliers
Taxpayers
Staff

Interest
2.2 Stakeholder classification
 
 2.2.1 Stakeholder with high power and high interest

High power and high stakeholders for HS2 include Chairman of HS2 LTD.,
Department for Transport (sponsor), local media (newspapers...) , local councils,
Power

local residents, local businesses and landowners who have provided most of the
funding for HS2 and have a large stake in the project. At the same time, they have
great power to directly regulate and interfere with the course of the HS2 project.
Therefore, it is necessary for the project manager to maintain communication with
them and use their opinions as the main guide for project development. It is also
necessary for project managers to understand their opinions and strictly manage
them (Hunter & Spark, 2020).

2.2.2 Stakeholder with high power but low interest

High-power but low-interest stakeholders include regulators, other government

agencies, governments, conservationists, conservationists, and archaeologists. This
group has taken on more of a supervisory role in the HS2 project. This part of
stakeholders will supervise and control the impact on the natural environment of the
surrounding communities and the quality of life of local residents, because the
government and other regulatory agencies have the greatest power among all
stakeholders and can directly and quickly intervene in the construction progress of
the project. For them, HS2 project managers should carry out the project within their
rules, but without having to communicate with them all the time or show them the
details of the project (Hunter & Spark, 2020).

2.2.3 Stakeholder with low power but high interest

Stakeholders with low power but high interest in HS2 include Engineers,
contractors, special interest groups, European Rail Freight Association, material
suppliers, taxpayers and project staff. This group is generally large in number but has
limited power. Although these stakeholders cannot directly influence the decision of
HS2 project or the development track of the project, they have some ways to
express and disseminate their opinions. These approaches are likely to influence the
views of a large number of stakeholders with low power but high interest on Hs2,
which in turn will have a significant impact on the design and development phase
when they are among the highest beneficiaries of one of the project's target
markets. Their participation in the project will also have a significant impact. For
their project managers, they should always inform them of the detailed information
and progress of the project, and take the initiative to understand and consider the
needs of these stakeholders, taking their needs as one of the indicators to improve
the project (Rice & Galbraith, 2008).
2.2.4 Stakeholder with low power and low interest

Stakeholders with low power and low interest in HS2 include the Rail Industry
Association, other rail networks, transport businesses. They are direct participants
and implementers of the HS2 project. They are far less excited and worried about
the plans than stakeholders with a special interest in them because they have the
least investment in HS2 and the least ability to hold up the project. In order to
determine whether the project is running smoothly and in accordance with the
wishes of other stakeholders, all project managers should reasonably allocate
incremental tasks for those projects, effectively clarify their requirements with the
demand side, the project budget, and the compensation they can receive (Rice &
Galbraith, 2008).

3. How the project was managed

      In January 2009, HS2 Ltd began to have the idea of building a new high-speed rail
line, then applied to the government for permission to build the Y-line and was
successful (ITVX, 2020). The government and the company subsequently submitted
an application to Parliament for the High Speed Rail (London-West Midlands) Bill,
although HS2 LTD's application was delayed by a year by the national auditor. But it
finally won parliamentary approval to build the first phase of HS2 in June 2017 (ITVX,
2020). In the interim, however, cost overruns have been a serious problem.
According to a review of the project by the company's executives, the initial budget
for the project in 2009 was £32.7bn. Astonishingly, the total cost of HS2 soared to
£106bn in 2019. The project has been delayed due to opposition from
environmentalists and community residents.(BBC, 2021). The three main reasons for
the failure of this project are: First, in the planning stage of the project management
process, the definition of the project scope was wrong and did not fully consider the
impact of environmental factors and the financial situation of the enterprise on the
definition of the project scope (Plimmer, 2019);

Due to the lack of detailed investigation and analysis of the geographical

conditions near the HS2 project and all relevant scope areas, the extension of the
route through the construction of additional facilities such as tunnels and Bridges
has greatly expanded the original projected scope of HS2, and the expansion of
scope will inevitably lead to increased costs (Burridge, 2020). At the same time, in
the project planning, all risks and uncertain events that may be faced in the process
of the project are not actually estimated and considered (Burridge, 2020). During the
construction of HS2, for example, the problem of the soil being too soft was not
considered in the project planning, and the builders had to use expensive concrete
materials to secure the tracks. Not only that, the project plan did not anticipate that
damage to the topsoil would cause the clay layer to swell and cause Bridges and
tunnels to crack (Plimmer, 2019). These uncertainties also significantly increase
project costs and delivery times (Plimmer, 2019). Not only that, but as a result of the
lack of a full and effective stakeholder analysis at the outset of the project, and the
mistakes made in considering the needs of some relevant stakeholders and providing
them with detailed project information, it is clear that HS2 seriously underestimated
the needs of environmentalists and local residents near the site (BBC, 2020). That's
why they oppose HS2 and call for conservation and community property.

4. Critical analysis of the project outcome

Through the case analysis of HS2 project, I learned the following four points:
First, the significance of careful planning: One of the reasons for the significant
delays and cost overruns in the HS2 project is the inadequate planning. Thus, careful
investment of time and resources into developing a comprehensive project plan that
considers all aspects of the project, including risks, timelines, and resources, is
essential.
Second, the need for competent leadership: A complex project like HS2 requires
effective and strong leadership to ensure that it stays on track and achieves its goals.
This involves having a clear vision for the project, setting attainable objectives, and
providing guidance and support to project teams.
Third, the value of stakeholder engagement: HS2 has faced opposition from local
communities and other stakeholders, contributing to delays and complications.
Involving stakeholders effectively is crucial in ensuring that project goals align with
the needs and expectations of all parties involved.
Fourth, the importance of risk management: Large-scale projects like HS2 will
inevitably face risks and uncertainties, and effective risk management is critical in
managing these risks and ensuring that the project stays on track. The HS2 project
has encountered various risks, such as technical challenges and funding issues,
underlining the importance of a robust risk management plan.
If I will be a project manager in the future, I will define the main objectives of the
project at the very beginning of project planning, fully consider every influence on
the scope of the project, and make the project quantifiable and predictable. At the
same time, in the evaluation of project cost, all possible influencing factors will be
investigated and coordinated from the actual situation, so as to avoid overly
idealistic management that is divorced from reality. Furthermore, I will make a
comprehensive analysis of all existing stakeholders with interests and power as the
measurement unit, fully understand and balance the needs of each stakeholder, and
increase the transparency of project information to make all stakeholders fully
informed of the project.

References
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