HS2 ‘would benefit towns’ between London and Birmingham

Listen to this article

The construction of a new high speed line could benefit towns between London and Birmingham, as well as transforming rail travel to and between cities further north, according to the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC).

In its response to the Government’s consultation on High Speed 2, ATOC says that HS2 is a ‘better way of dealing with growing passenger numbers’ than further upgrades to the West Coast Main Line.

Upgrading the existing line would offer only ‘marginal improvements’ to intercity services, do ‘little to free up capacity for local services’ between London and the West Midlands or for freight, and risks bringing major disruption to millions of passengers.

Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of ATOC said:

“Rail travel is more popular now than it has been for decades with parts of the network facing a capacity crunch. Investing in a new high speed line and other parts of the rail network is key to ensuring the nation has a modern, green transport system fit for the 21st century.

“HS2 not only provides the extra capacity needed to serve growing demand for rail, uniquely it offers the prospect of dramatically shorter journey times between the engines of our economy.

“This promises to unlock the potential of cities in the Midlands and the North, and to attract even more people out of cars and planes and onto trains.”

5 COMMENTS

  1. There is no business deal that will fail for the sake of fifteen minutes.  Two stations are a white elephant and speed is irrelevant.  It’s only use will be for morning and evening commute.  The journey time to the station far out ways any time that the train would save so much for the environment!!

    • firstly it isnt fifteen minutes but 33 toi 36 minutes savings and that is for london to birmingham only. and the stations will be in central birmingham and interchanges in birmingham and west london with many other lines. trains are busy now at all times of the day anyway. no white elephants here except in your vivid imagination !

  2. There is no business deal that will fail for the sake of fifteen minutes.  Two stations are a white elephant and speed is irrelevant.  It’s only use will be for morning and evening commute.  The journey time to the station far out ways any time that the train would save so much for the environment!!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Rail News

ORR review leads to 50% reduction in maximum fees for ticket refunds

New rules will mean that from 2 April the maximum fee that train operators and ticket retailers can charge...

More like this...