Stop High Speed Two!

On the 10th January 2011, High Speed Two or simply HS2 was given the 'go-ahead'. I am not impressed. I am actually so unimpressed I signed the e-petition to Stop HS2. Why? That is a great questions.

I simply cannot stand the hubris and the narrow thinking of this Government. What the railway requires is continued and concerted investment in new longer platforms and trains. In time high speed rail will become necessary for our Nations infrastructure but it is not the primary request from commuters and tourists. Top of their list is usually, I would like a seat. I would much rather see investments in those areas where I and others can see measurable improvement from our increasingly more expensive rail fares.

Honestly, I think the price tag of £33b is simply too great during a period of such austerity. HS2 in my opinion is an ill conceived project as it does not even connect to the existed High Speed line, HS1, which runs between London St Pancras and Euroland. Neither does it link travellers to Heathrow or Gatwick international airports. Instead HS2 will terminate at Euston Station thus leaving passengers arriving in London to fight their way through the Underground to the single stop to King Cross St Pancras for the Eurostar. Worst still there is not even a direct services for Paddington and the express service to Heathrow.

So what is the route? Initally phase one of HS2, between London and Birmingham. The high speed service should be running by late 2026. The second phase of the Y-shaped route will reach Manchester and Leeds by about 2033. A consultation is planned on the second phase to begin in early 2014, with a final route chosen by the end of that year. So actually there is no commitment to continue the line much past Birmingham. That's rather short of Scotland the ultimate goal of this project when it was first announced. But perhaps Scotland will be an indepenent nation by then and this is really simply hyperbole.

So if we were to implement my back of the envelope transport plan for the rail network as published in my earlier work, 'High Speed Rail is the proverbial wet dream of politicians', we would be investing capital and energy in the following three areas to work on resolving that issue by:

1. Extend existing platforms across the network to support longer trains.
2. Complete the electrification of the network.
3. Replace the existing diesel trains with new longer electric trains.

Further more, I would also be championing the agenda to construction a new generation of nuclear power stations to produce large quantities of energy free from gas and oil prices fluctuations to power new trains and other electric vehicles. This should deliver a certain about of vision and growth for the nation while reducing the carbon foot print.

So if you too believe that there serious benefit for this £33b Ministerial train set then please go to the DirectGov e-petitions site and register you grievance, http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/353.

Links

1. HS2: High-speed rail network gets go-ahead
2. HS2 go-ahead sees mixed reaction

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