HS2 High-speed Rail Consultation Launched on a Bumpy Ride

The £30 billion HS2 project would link London to Britain’s second city, Birmingham, as well as to Leeds and Manchester, with potential journey times between Paris and Leeds dropping to around 4 hours.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond justified the huge price tag, saying that the benefits of the initial stage, linking London to Birmingham, would deliver around £44 billion worth of benefits at a cost of £17 billion for that section alone.

Launching an extensive process of consultation, he said high-speed rail offered a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the way we travel in the 21st century".

"Countries across Europe and Asia are already pressing ahead with ambitious plans for high-speed rail, while some of our key rail arteries are getting ever closer to capacity," he said at the launch in Birmingham.

"We cannot afford to be left behind – investing in high-speed rail now is vital to the prosperity of future generations.
"The government believes that the benefits delivered by a Y-shaped national high-speed rail network, connecting London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, would be significantly higher than those of any other option for enhancing the capacity and performance of Britain's key inter-city rail links, and well in excess of twice its costs."

Local opposition

But while the plans have been broadly welcomed by the rail industry and passenger groups and much of the general public, they are met with an array of local opposition from residents' groups, some councils, and some Conservative MPs.

The most prominent objections stem from the fact that the new rail line would cut through the low-lying Chiltern Hills west of London, much of which is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Chiltern Society states on the Stop HS2 section of its website: “High Speed Rail isn’t some latter day Thomas the Tank Engine chuffing gently through glorious countryside and adding to the atmosphere. High speed rail is a mass of iron and steel and concrete and noise that will leave an indelible, ugly scar across one of the most beautiful areas of England.”

The Chiltern Society, like other campaigners, take the government to task for its "take it or leave it" approach, which provides only one set of plans and does not allow negotiation over alternative routes during the consultation.

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