(BUTTON) More HS2 This article is more than 2 years old New HS2 fears as large crack opens up on land where train line will run This article is more than 2 years old Residents claim high-speed rail company has not taken West Yorkshire area’s coal mining legacy into account -- * Share via Email An anti-HS2 signs in South Yorkshire, where the planned HS2 high speed train line will run. [ ] An anti-HS2 signs in South Yorkshire, where the planned HS2 high speed train line will run. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Residents in West Yorkshire have raised concerns about plans to build the HS2 rail line through a former mining area, after an eight-metre-long crack opened up in the ground along the proposed route. Plans for the Yorkshire section of the high-speed train line were changed earlier this year, taking it to the east of Sheffield instead of through the Meadowhall shopping centre, on the city’s border with Rotherham. Vince Cable accuses Network Rail and HS2 firm of being secretive Read more -- legacy could have on costs. Jonathan Pile, a health and safety consultant and anti-HS2 campaigner, discovered the crack while walking his dog in August. He contacted the Coal Authority when it became clear that the hole was getting bigger. -- tonnes of stone. When will HS2 be built? Work on phase one, London to Birmingham, should start in summer 2017, -- northern route, with twin branches to Manchester and Leeds, is still to be drawn up. First trains are expected to run in 2026, with some services continuing from HS2 to existing railway tracks, allowing fast direct trains between London and stations across the north. The full network is expected to be completed in 2033. -- ground collapse.” A timeline of the project, published by HS2 Ltd, shows that the company does not plan to conduct a detailed ground investigation until shortly before construction begins. A spokesperson for the company said it was -- “As with any Yorkshire coal mining community, they dug under houses, they dug everywhere. But HS2 will just throw money at the problem,” said Pile, whose family home is 265 metres from the proposed high-speed train line. The decision to scrap plans torun the HS2 line through the Meadowhall centre, and instead take it east of Sheffield, came after similar concerns were raised that the ground beneath the site was “mush” and riddled with old mine workings. Risk documents published by HS2 Ltd state that there is a 68% likelihood of the cost of the project increasing as a result of new information coming to light about mining in the area. An HS2 spokesperson said they were aware of “the rich history of coal mining in the area” and that they had conducted assessments on the suitability of the land. -- of historical coal mining beneath the railway.” Topics * HS2 * Rail transport -- (BUTTON) Close [p?c1=2&c2=6035250&cv=2.0&cj=1&comscorekw=HS2%2CRail+transport%2CTransp ort%2CUK+news%2CMining%2CEnvironment]