Covid means “The case for building HS2 has gone from questionable to completely non-existent.”

Today, the Government announced the official start of construction on phase 1 of HS2, with Boris Johnson keen to herald the projected creation of 22,000 construction jobs, but rather less keen to mention that HS2 is projected to permanently displace almost that many jobs.

Stop HS2 Campaign Manager Joe Rukin responded:

“The case for building HS2 has gone from questionable to completely non-existent. The passenger forecasts invented to justify this gargantuan white elephant started off as being grossly inflated, but now this idea that HS2 is needed because tens of thousands of people, will demand to commute even greater distances for work in the future, are just laughable. We’ve spent 10 years trying to tell tin-eared politicians that working practices will change in the future and drastically reduce the need for travel, and even now it’s happened right in front of their eyes, they refuse to accept it.”

“Trying to spin HS2 as a job creation scheme is beyond desperate, as even if you take the governments low estimate of cost for phase 1 of HS2, creating 22,000 jobs works out at almost two million pounds just to create a single job, at a time when well-run businesses are going under every day, and Boris Johnson is rather less keen to mention the 19,590 jobs that HS2 will permanently displace.”

Penny Gaines, chair of Stop HS2 added:

“HS2 is the most environmentally destructive project this century, with almost 700 wildlife sites under threat, and HS2 Ltd themselves even admitting it will have a negative impact on carbon emissions for over a century. This is why there are currently hundreds of activists camped out along the HS2 route, fighting to protect nature and we don’t expect them to go away any time soon.”

Various bits of the TV coverage are below.

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6 comments to “Covid means “The case for building HS2 has gone from questionable to completely non-existent.””
  1. Pingback: New beginnings? – Raising Revolutionaries

  2. I just found out about this. And I support your cause, but keep in mind that big public expense programs is just what is needed now to save the economy, so even though they have no reason to build it, they will in order to spend the money and slow inflation.

    Its a shame, because there is no justification for the ecological impact of this…

  3. This project that has been invested probably by the Chinese, must be STOPPED.

    It is the most pointless thing ever made since the Fidget Spinner. The novelty of creating jobs will soon wear off. And all to save 20 minutes of travel for rich cats from London.

    I heard on the news that this whole thing is expected to be completed by 2030. But if people fight back enough now then maybe it can be stopped before it’s barely begun construction. 10 years is a long time but what happens NOW is what matters.

    And if things get nasty enough I expect protesters to start vandalism on this government project. If diplomacy fails, that’s when you take action. Because the only way for this to stop is to make it so hard for parliament and Johnson that they will just simply have to abandon it. Then it’s between them and the investors and not with the people and environment.

    Covid or not we should never stop fighting the only battle that matters.

  4. I’ve only got one comment. Hyperloop! £307 Million pounds per track mile Vs £15 Million pounds per track mile? Oh two comments!! Hyperloop is underground! And HS2 is better because???? Ummm???

  5. Just because construction is now about to start, does not mean that opposition to HS2 will disappear, the opposite is likely to be the case.
    This “Govt.” lied about the costs and the business case, which fraudulently led to HS2’s approval by gullible MPs, if this had been a public prospectus for a new company, it would never have got off the ground, it would have been laughed out of court..
    No Boris, you can waffle all you want about new jobs being created, as it conceals the loss of jobs elsewhere.
    It is more than likely that the lines north of Birmingham will NEVER be built, it will be a bodge using existing lines, that may at least save some countryside from the destruction seen already in the 1st, stage. I will wager that the final cost of the 1st. stage will be well north of £100bn., Johnson should be ashamed of himself as the ultimate environmental destroyer, but as he has demonstrated on other controversial decisions he doesn’t listen, nor does he care?

  6. THIS PROJECT IS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY DISASTROUS. I APPRECIATE THE ECONOMICS BUT NOT THE ECOLOGY. WHAT IS BEING DONE TO MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE?

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