Preston’s Flag Market will host a rail roadshow this month to mark the construction of Britain’s new High-Speed Two railway.

Ahead of its arrival in Preston, the team leading the design and construction of High-Speed Two (HS2) is hitting the streets with a brand new community roadshow.

The HS2 roadshow will visit towns and cities from north to south this summer as part of a programme of community-focused activities highlighting the thousands of jobs, skills, training and new business opportunities that HS2 is creating.

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The roadshow will stop in Preston, with an outdoor pop-up event at the Flag Market on Wednesday 25 August from 10.00-19.00. A smaller indoor exhibition will be available on the ground floor of St George’s Shopping Centre (near Marks and Spencer).

The events will allow residents and visitors to learn about the plans to bring the new low carbon railway to the town. The organisers said becoming a high-speed rail destination will offer opportunities for Preston.

As well as providing residents with faster travel to new destinations, the connectivity boost that HS2 provides will open the town to new business and leisure markets, supporting the regional tourism sector and widespread economic growth.

The Lancashire Enterprise Partnership believes that the productivity gains from the impact of HS2 services could help provide an extra £600m for the region, and HS2 could mean 75,000 additional visitors a year, adding £3.3m to the city economy annually.

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Experts from all areas of the HS2 project will be on hand at the roadshow event, armed with a wealth of resources.

Tony Weston, Head of Projects and Events at HS2, said: “We want Britain’s new railway to be designed and built by communities as diverse as those it will serve.

“We have an important role to play in the country’s economic recovery, so it’s more important than ever that people know how to get on board and benefit from the careers, training and new business opportunities that HS2 is creating.

“Our roadshows will allow us to get to the heart of communities, and we’re looking forward to sharing information about our plans and letting people know how to keep in touch.”

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HS2 is playing a role in the government drive to build back better from the pandemic. Over 16,000 people are currently employed in jobs supporting the construction of the railway.

And as HS2’s journey north begins in earnest, following the green light from the government to extend the railway to Crewe, HS2 will help to level up Britain by spreading growth across the regions.

In early 2022, HS2 Ltd will submit a hybrid bill to parliament seeking powers to extend the HS2 network to Manchester.

Organisers said this will improve connectivity for millions of people in the Midlands and the North – right up to Scotland, creating more opportunities for local people to secure jobs and provide work for British businesses.

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It is estimated that the construction of HS2 will support over 30,000 jobs and 400,000 contract opportunities, with small and medium-sized enterprises expected to dominate the supply chain.

The organisers said if residents are looking for a new career or want to find out if their business could benefit from one of 400,000 contract opportunities generated from the first phase of construction works, they should attend the roadshow to find out more.

For more information, visit – hs2.org.uk/roadshow-2021

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