![]() "What we want to see is an HSR scheme that goes all the way to Scotland, a scheme that is designed to make it easy for people to use the train instead of the plane. Geraldine Nicholson, the chairwoman of No Third Runway Action Group (NoTRAG), which is opposed to Heathrow Airport expansion, said: "If the government thought it was going to get plaudits from us for its plans, it is sorely mistaken. "Like many people, we're yet to be convinced that the overall business case for HS2 - the high-speed line - stacks up environmentally, financially and socially." He added: "We're taking a keen interest in how these impacts have been considered and assessed, particularly exploring the government's proposals for mitigating against these impacts through design and tunnelling. Patrick Begg, director for the National Trust's Thames and Solent region, said the proposed route could cause "serious and significant impacts on the landscape" of the Chilterns. "However, development of HSR in the UK has been left in the slow lane because of our fragmented, privatised system which puts short-term profits first and long-term, strategic planning a very poor second." The new line could cut the journey time between the cities to just 46 minutes.īob Crow, general secretary of the RMT union, said: "We welcome any move to expand the rail network and to bring more passengers on to the trains. "The plans must be affordable at a time of real constraint in the public finances and must show how HSR will be paid for while continuing to invest in the existing network on which passengers make more than a billion journeys a year."įor the past year, the government-backed company High Speed Two has been working on plans to develop a new high-speed rail network, initially between London and Birmingham. Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc), said: "The commitment that all three parties have shown to HSR is a vote of confidence in the industry, and will help place train travel at the heart of a successful low-carbon economy. "It is the low-carbon, sustainable transport of the future." He also said that it would "take cars and lorries off the road, cut domestic flights and release capacity on the existing rail network, transforming services even for those communities not served directly by a high-speed line. Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher said high-speed rail was "a vital part of a modern, dynamic economy". ![]() Scotland's Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said developing high speed rail to Scotland "is central to the economic case for high-speed rail in the UK". She added that if the Conservatives are elected to power, they would start work on the project in 2015 - two years earlier than the government's plan. ![]() Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said the Conservatives were not prepared to "blindly accept" the route proposed by ministers. However, reaching the necessary political consensus for a particular route may prove to be difficult ahead of the general election. The main opposition parties are also committed, in principle, to the need for a high-speed rail network. The cost per mile beyond Birmingham is then estimated to halve, taking the overall cost of the 335 mile Y-shaped network to about £30bn. He said the first 120 miles between London and the West Midlands would cost between £15.8bn and £17.4bn. Lord Adonis said the project would create 10,000 jobs and yield £2 in benefits for every £1 spent. The preferred route will run out through north-west London, skirting to the south-west of Aylesbury, then to the west of Buckingham and the east of Brackley and Banbury, before passing between Leamington Spa and Coventry and running into the eastern side of Birmingham.Ī future extension is being considered to northern England, which would run in a Y shape with one branch to Sheffield and Leeds and the other to Liverpool and Manchester. "Subject to this consultation, the London terminus for the high-speed line would be Euston, the Birmingham city centre station would be at Curzon Street, and there would be interchange stations with Crossrail west of Paddington and near Birmingham airport."
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |