UK: High-speed rail project will boost economy, say MPs

[John Ashworth]

High-speed rail project will boost economy, say MPs

The £250m link from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds wins support from House of Commons transport committee

Dan Milmo
The Guardian, Tuesday 8 November 2011

A £32bn high-speed rail network linking London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds with 250mph services will radically improve the quality of train journeys between major cities, according to MPs.

The government's support for an ultra-fast rail line has generated considerable dissent within the home counties and on Conservative backbenches, amid warnings that it will tarnish the countryside and waste vast sums of public money.

The House of Commons transport committee is giving the project cross-party support ahead of a critical juncture for the plans, with the government set to approve High Speed Two (HS2) when it publishes its response to a public consultation before Christmas.

Louise Ellman, the Labour chair of the committee, embraced the pro-camp's argument that a new line will eliminate concerns over a capacity squeeze on the west coast main line – one of the UK's main transport arteries. "A high speed rail network, beginning with a line between London and the West Midlands, would provide a step change in the capacity, quality, reliability and frequency of rail services between our major cities," she said.

"A high-speed line offers potential economic and strategic benefits which a conventional line does not, including a dramatic improvement in connectivity between our major cities, Heathrow and other airports, and the rest of Europe."

The Countryside Alliance criticised the committee for failing to consider an upgrade of the west coast line as an alternative to building a new route through the Chiltern Hills, a protected area of outstanding natural beauty, while the TaxPayers' Alliance accused MPs of failing to subject the case for a "dismal white elephant" to serious examination. "Taxpayers will be disappointed the transport select committee haven't done more to hold the government to account, and scrutinise this vanity project," said Matthew Sinclair, a director at the lobby group.

The Association of Train Operating Companies, which supports the line, urged the government to listen to concerns that investment in the existing rail network might lose out to the project. "The committee is right to point out that high speed should not come at the expense of investment in the existing network," said Michael Roberts, Atoc chief executive.

The Department for Transport welcomed the report as it prepares to publish the findings of a two-pronged consultation on high-speed rail, which is scrutinising the route for the first phase between London and Birmingham and asking whether Britain needs a high-speed rail network.

Despite opposition to the plans from Tory MPs and the London mayor, Boris Johnson, the government is expected to give the project the green light.

A DfT spokesman indicated that the response to the consultation has been largely positive. "The report provides a useful contribution to the debate on high speed rail, and echoes a number of the messages coming out from the responses to the public consultation."

Committee backs high-speed rail bid

Press Association, Tuesday November 8 2011
Guardian

The Government's HS2 high-speed rail plan has been backed by the House of Commons Transport Committee following its inquiry into the £34 billion project.

But the committee's approval came with a number of provisos, including MPs urging supporters and opponents of the scheme to desist from name-calling and terms such as "Nimbys" and "Luddites".

The committee said there was a "good case" for HS2 which would feature 250mph, 1,100-passenger trains running from London to Birmingham and then on to north-east and north-west England and Scotland.

Bitterly opposed by some residents and councils, HS2 would run through picturesque Tory heartlands in its first phase from London to Birmingham, with the Government due to make a decision on the route before the end of this year.

The committee's report said: "We call on the Government to consider and to clarify these matters before it reaches its decision on HS2."

The MPs said: "Unlike policies for major roads and airports, this proposal has all-party support. It is not, however, universally supported by MPs or the public.

"We acknowledge the deeply held and often well-informed views on both sides of the debate."

The report went on: "What should have been a serious and factually based debate about how best to address the transport, economic and environmental challenges of HS2 has too often been reduced to name-calling and caricature.

"Luddites, Nimby and white elephants fought out a battle of 'jobs versus lawns'. We urge the Government to desist from disparaging opponents of HS2 as Nimbys and for both sides in the debate to show respect for each other and to focus on the facts."