On the day the House of Commons Transport Select Committee convenes to hear from opponents to high speed rail, Yorkshire’s business and civic leaders supporting HS2 are holding a business forum on why ‘Yorkshire Needs High Speed Rail’.
Keynote speaker Professor David Begg, director of a pro-HS2 campaign group will explain what HS2 means for Yorkshire and the North of England in terms of regeneration benefits, better connectivity and increased capacity on existing rail lines.
He will also talk about how HS2 is an opportunity for long term investment and the need for a strong pro-HS2 voice.
Yorkshire stands to ‘reap over £2bn in economic benefits’ from the Government’s proposed national network of 200mph trains, which will cut the journey time from Leeds to London to just 80 minutes.
With the Department for Transport’s consultation on the first stage of HS2 between London and Birmingham closing on 29 July, Metro, the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, the Leeds City Region LEP, and Leeds City Council are working together to urge businesses and residents from across the region to show their support.
Gary Williamson, Chief Executive of the Chamber said:
“High speed rail will bring huge benefits for our region. If the first stage gets the go-ahead, it will influence investment decisions by business for years to come, helping to create new local jobs and secure existing ones.”
“If we are to realise these economic benefits, we need the first stage of the scheme from London to Birmingham to be approved.
“We must not be derailed by a vocal minority in the home counties, who are opposing the scheme.
“That’s why we are encouraging local people and businesses to respond to the consultation and show their support for the scheme.”
Councillor Keith Wakefield, Leader of Leeds City Council said:
“Leeds is a city that is going places and we need high-speed rail to improve access to the area as it develops further as a major hub for business, leisure, investment and jobs.
“High speed rail will transform rail journeys from Leeds and many other northern cities, providing travel opportunities and choices that we won’t otherwise have.”
“With Leeds Arena and the Trinity Leeds shopping complex in development, the council is working with its partners in a concerted effort to attract jobs and further investment to Leeds, and we need the best possible transport links to support that.
“The forward-looking approach of authorities in our twin city, Lille, who started planning well before that city’s high-speed TGV Nord line was built, resulted in the expansion of the city centre with the development of a major commercial centre around the new station.
“A continuing development strategy has resulted in new offices, public housing and a large conference and events hall in other nearby areas – a hugely successful model which we believe could be of great benefit if similarly applied to Leeds.”
Lille had two metro lines, 1 tramline, electrified commuter railways and a single integrated transport system before high-speed rail was built. All these schemes have been rejected for West Yorkshire on cost grounds despite having higher BCRs than HS2.
If the small schemes we need locally are “too expensive”, why is HS2 affordable?
The potential benefits to the North of HS2 have been hugely exaggerated. Far from narrowing the north-south divide, HS2 would only make the UK even more London-centric than it is at the moment. A far cheaper and more effective way of generating the economy in cities like Leeds and Manchester would be to improve local transport links and invest in ultra-igh-speed broadband. In the digital age, it makes far more sense to do business via video link than to buy an expensive rail ticket and spend most of the day getting down to London, battling across the Tube network and back again, just to meet someone face to face. When we’re cutting back on nurses and police officers and making tens of thousands of people redundant, it sends completely the wrong signal for the Government to be splurging £32 billion on a white elephant like this. Let’s save the money – and protect what’s left of our fast-disapperaing countryside for future generations.