Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has said that the East Midlands’ position at the heart of the proposed high speed network will allow residents to ‘reap the rewards’ of faster journey times to London, Birmingham and Yorkshire.
The Government is currently consulting on proposals for a new high speed rail network which include a station in the East Midlands.
The region’s civic and business leaders gathered in Nottingham yesterday to discuss the proposals, which could bring the city to within an hour of central London compared to around 1h 45m currently. Journey times to Leeds could also be over an hour shorter, at just 40 minutes, and Birmingham could become around 50 minutes closer, with journeys taking just 23 minutes.
However, readers of Rail.co voted in a poll recently on whether we really need HS2 at all. Only 38% of those who voted agreed with the Government’s proposals. The remaining 62% were against the line altogether.
Concerns over cost, the environmental impact and existing infrastructure that desperately needs repairing are just some of the reasons for protests against the high speed line.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said:
“The benefits of HS2 to the East Midlands are extensive and undeniable. Just one look at a map of our proposals shows the region would be right at the heart of the network and would reap the rewards this brings, with fast, direct connections to London, Birmingham and Yorkshire.
“Taken alongside the £44bn of benefits to the UK economy and the significant regeneration this will bring to towns and cities along the route, high speed rail is something the East Midlands simply must support. My message to the region is simple – the transformational possibilities offered by HS2 are second to none – ignore them at your peril.”
The Department for Transport estimates the cost of the complete ‘Y’ shaped network at £32bn and expects it would generate economic benefits of around £44bn and fare revenues of around £27bn over a 60-year period.
The Government is currently holding a public consultation on its proposals for high speed rail which runs until 29th July 2011.
And I quote: “Only 38% of those who voted agreed with the Governmentu2019s proposals. The remaining 62% were against the line altogether”….Ministers would sell their Granny for less! nnIn their own language – “The country is broke. The country’s credit card is maxed out. There must be efficiencies in the public sector. Protect the front line but needless back office jobs will have to go. We will cull the list of quango’s inherited from Labour. We will stop the war on the motorists. We must support our troops fighting in Afghanistan. The status quo is not an option. We must reduce the deficit if we are to regain our financial credibility globally. We are all in this together.” nn….is it me or is this Government full of headlines but empty on substance? If the country is broke how can we afford u00a334bn on HS2? If the credit card is maxed out how can we afford u00a334bn on HS2? If there will be less public sector workers, how can we justify a commuter shuttle train (HS2) into London? If we are culling quango’s who the hell are HS2 Ltd? If we are stopping the war on the motorists how come we cannot find the u00a310bn needed to repair the potholes? If we are supporting the troops in Afghanistan how come we are making them redundant by email, spending more on HS2 than on defence AND still sending them to fight with inadequate vehicles and equipment? If the status quo is not an option how come the NHS continues to waste billions each year on over prescribed and un used drugs? If we are seriously reducing our deficit why are we contemplating spending u00a334bn on HS2 when we know HS1 lost the country billions when it was sold – good money after bad? If we are all in this together how come the public consultation on HS2 has only been targetted at those families and businesses ‘along the HS2 route’? Everyone in the country will end up paying for HS2 so why is the consultation so restricted? nnThe Crossrail dig has just unearthed ‘bedlum’ – Mr Cameron is dangerously close to leading a Government of the same!