HS2 high-speed rail link ‘white elephant’ MP claims

From: BBC News

A proposed £32bn national high-speed rail link was described as a “white elephant” during an MPs’ debate.

Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom made the claim adding that HS2 was “out of date before it is even completed”.

Liberal Democrat Dr Julian Huppert said the project was “a cold, hard necessity which we cannot afford to ignore”.

The line would first connect London to Birmingham, then to Manchester and Leeds and include stops in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.

Ms Leadsom, whose South Northamptonshire constituency would be affected by the line, said she was against plans for a scheme that she thought was “unjustifiable and eye-wateringly expensive”.

“If this route was going from Truro to Paddington or from Leeds to Edinburgh, I would still be here today defending the taxpayer,” she added.

Coventry North-West MP Geoffrey Robinson (Labour) was also opposed to plans and said: “It’s the largest capital project this country will ever have engaged in and it is money, frankly, that could better be spent elsewhere.”

Successful economy

Transport Minister Theresa Villiers backed HS2 to defuse the “passenger capacity time bomb” on the West Coast Main Line and denied the scheme was only about cutting the London to Birmingham journey time to 49 minutes.

“It’s about delivering the inter-city transport links that are absolutely crucial for the future success of our economy.”

Labour’s shadow rail minister John Woodcock argued HS2 was “a vital lifeline of economic growth”.

“We will be failing future generations if we pass up the opportunity to employ the most advanced technology available,” said the Barrow MP.

A petition against the scheme has been delivered to Downing Street with 108,000 signatures.

Stop HS2 campaigners assembled at Old Palace Yard, opposite the House of Commons, to protest against the plans.

The line would also run through rural parts of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire.

Vision for the future of railways

Better services, improved passenger information, and cuts in the cost of running the railways have been outlined in future plans announced by rail chiefs.

Described as an initial industry plan, the programme covers the period 2014 to 2019, with the industry aiming to cut rail costs by £1.3 billion a year by the end of this decade.

Plans include £5.6 billion-worth of schemes, including the Northern Hub – a £560 million plan to deliver more than 700 extra services a day between Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sheffield.

The rail chiefs’ vision also includes journey time improvements in the East Midlands, Yorkshire, Bristol and Oxford areas and electrification of the Midland main line, the north trans-Pennine line, and further electrification schemes in Scotland.

The plan also envisages improvements to a number of stations including Fenchurch Street in London and Liverpool Central, as well as a £200 million scheme to improve services between Inverness and Aberdeen in Scotland.

By better linking Britain’s major cities, an extra 180,000 peak-time seats could be provided, as well as accommodating a 30% increase in freight.

Rail chiefs also announced plans to move from 800 signal boxes to 14 modern signalling centres. The hoped-for schemes, which will need Government approval, are in addition to £4.9 billion-worth of ongoing projects such as the Thameslink and Crossrail schemes in London and already-announced electrification schemes such as the Great Western line.

The rail industry also spoke of trying to improve the passenger experience in key areas such as journey information, comfort and accessibility.

Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: “Rail has a bright future in supporting a successful green economy in the years ahead. This plan shows how we can do that by providing a better quality of service to growing numbers of passengers at a more affordable cost.

“We look forward to working with government to ensure the right framework is in place to make this possible.”

New Street – New Start

What is the New Street Gateway project?

New Street Gateway will make New Street station an icon for Britain’s second city. It will transform the experience for passengers, improve links to and through the city centre and act as a catalyst for growth for the local area’s economy.

The project will create a new start for one of the busiest, most important stations in the country.

The redevelopment of New Street will be carried out by Network Rail alongside Mace who are the principal contractor and delivery partner.  The project is backed by Network Rail, Birmingham City Council, Advantage West Midlands, Centro and the Department for Transport.

The scheme is backed by business leaders, passengers and the wider public.

New Street Gateway will deliver the station that passengers deserve and is vital to the continued prosperity of the region. It will give passengers three and a half times more space and transform the grey, concrete exterior into a stunning building fit for the 21^st century. The project will generate over £2bn in transport and wider economic benefits for the region.

The redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station will create:

–        a concourse with three and half times more space for passengers, enclosed by a giant light-filled atrium

–        more accessible, brighter and clearer platforms, reached by new escalators and new public lifts

–        a stunning new station exterior, adding to Birmingham’s growing reputation for good design

–        better links to and through the station for pedestrians, with eight entrances

–        a major stimulus for the physical regeneration of the areas surrounding the station

For more information on the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street, visit the New Street New Start Website.