Weekly poll results: Should the UK build High Speed 2?

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Last week’s poll asked; ‘Should the UK build High Speed 2?’

The results are:

62%     No

38%     Yes

The project has received much criticism over the ‘lack of business case’ and large costs because of the current economic climate. Environmental and action groups are also running highly publicised protests and action against the project.

The proposed line would run from London to Birmingham before splitting into a ‘Y’ shape and heading to Manchester and Leeds. Further on in the project, the line could also run to Scotland. HS2 Ltd claim that journey times would be slashed and business in the North would benefit greatly from this direct rail link between London and Birmingham which is the second largest city outside of the capital.

If the plans for HS2 are approved by the Government, construction is likely to begin in 2017 and the first trains could run along the line in 2025.

The Government is currently running a public consultation where people can submit their views on the project.

5 COMMENTS

  1. For the UK’s domestic railway system High Speed Rail and HS2 in particular are both deeply flawed with no possibility whatever of having any sound business case, they are uneconomic, unaffordable and are entirely unnecessary. The government needs to allocate far smaller sums of money on upgrading, fully electrifying, improving tracks, stations, signalling and changing the present TOC contracts and doing away entirely with the leasing companies to ensure that the we, the taxpayers through the government, get an improved national railway service, with common ticketing and time-tabling, and most importantly with affordable ticket pricing to ensure practical and wide-spread connectivity and thus convenient journeys throughout the entire railway network, which would then be as widely used by the populace as can reasonably be expected. The government also needs to stop talking about and immediately get on with providing new low carbon emitting power generation stations to produce the low carbon electricity needed to re-power this nation so as to meet our 80% carbon reduction target by 2050. The government is trumpeting HS2 to the rafters as part of its present Consultation, instead of addressing our real needs. It is nothing short of a national disgrace!

  2. There is no business case for HS2 . Demand forecasts were based on the wrong demand forecast handbook and network rail demand forecasts are considerably lower. HS1 demand is a third of that predicted. Doubling the speed uses far more than double the energy cost. Comfort is more important than speed as if it is a business trip work can be done on the train. The Government should be trying to discourage long distance commuting. The rail franchises are continually improving services Chiltern Rail with their improvements will have Journey Times London to Bimingham down to 90 minutes by the end of the year.

  3. Most of the case for HS2 is actually the case for adding capacity between London, Birmingham and Manchester.nnThis needs to be costed as a conventional 125 mph railway for comaparison.

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