Government reappoints HS2 boss
THE Government has reappointed Alison Munro as the chief executive of HS2 Ltd, the independent company set up to deliver a high speed rail network between London, Birmingham and the North of England.
Ms Munro, who has been at the head of HS2 Ltd since it was established in 2009, will command a salary of between £120,000 and £124,999.
The Department for Transport said that under her leadership HS2 Ltd had planned, structured and managed a complex mixture of tasks to develop high speed rail proposals.
Following the Transport Secretary’s decision in January to proceed with the £32bn project after an extensive consultation process, the DfT said Ms Munro had “led the organisation in preparations to make the high speed rail network a reality”.
She will now lead HS2 Ltd through the Hybrid Bill process to Royal Assent for the line from London to the West Midlands, while also leading work to decide the routes linking to Manchester, Leeds and direct to Heathrow.
Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: “Alison has done an excellent job as chief executive of HS2 Ltd during the advisory and consultation phases of this project so I am delighted she has agreed to continue in that role.
“HS2 will transform rail travel for our country, providing much needed capacity, reducing journey times and driving regeneration in the same way the motorway network revolutionised road travel. Alison’s leadership will be invaluable during the next crucial phases of this project including preparation of the Hybrid Bill on Phase 1, and the development of route proposals for Phase 2 of the network.”
Ms Munro said: “I am very happy to have been asked to continue in my role as chief executive of HS2 Ltd, to lead the delivery of a Hybrid Bill for the London to West Midlands line, and the specification of routes to Manchester and Leeds.
“Having led the work to develop the route for Phase 1, including the largest consultation ever undertaken for a transport project, I look forward to taking the project on to the next stage, working with our many stakeholders to deliver the best outcome for this transformative project.”
