That’s why we’ve put an extensive environment programme in place, including our Green Corridor alongside the railway. We understand that local communities have concerns about the environmental impact of building HS2.

Over 160 barn owl boxes and 29 artificial badger setts have also been created and thousands of newts have been successfully rehomed.

Around 150 hibernacula and 65 reptile banks have been created which provide new homes for reptiles and amphibians.

2,000 bat boxes have been installed, either within HS2’s wildlife sites or in existing nearby woodlands.

Many acres of new wetland, heathland and meadow have been created.119 new wildlife sites have been created, which are already thriving homes for wildlife.Over 845,000 trees have now been planted and maintained, including native species such as hazel, hawthorn, oak, blackthorn and silver birch.Five years of HS2’s environment programme in numbers Over the coming years, our ecology contractors will continue to create more habitats to sustain healthy populations of UK flora and fauna, providing a network of bigger, better-connected, climate resilient habitats and new green spaces for wildlife and people to enjoy.

It’s fantastic to see our wildlife habitats thriving, but this is really just the beginning. We’re now five years into our extensive environment programme to create more than 33 square kilometres of new wildlife habitats along the HS2 route – the equivalent of 23 new Hyde Parks lining the spine of the country.

We have already started planting new woodlands and creating new ponds, grasslands and meadows, with many new habitats flourishing, before a single train has started running. Our Green Corridor will run alongside the railway, creating a network of bigger, better-connected, climate resilient habitats and new green spaces for people to enjoy.

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