Camden New Journal FORUM SPECIAL: Lord Peter Mandelson on why HS2 should be shunted into the nearest siding…
Exclusively for the New Journal, Lord Peter Mandelson (pictured) explains why he no longer thinks the project represents value for money
MANY living in Camden must be wondering what they did to deserve such up-ending of their lives: first St Pancras re-built, then the ongoing re-development of King’s Cross and its hinterland, and now HS2 – the proposed new high-speed train. Of these, the last will have the most far-reaching impact on the borough because of the extensive engineering works required.
Global Rail News: East Coast Pendolinos could deliver faster journey times than HS2 for Anglo-Scottish services
A Pendolino running on the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh would be faster than HS2, according to Virgin’s chief operating officer Chris Gibb.
With non-tilt HS2 trains limited to the current operating speeds of between 110 mph-125 mph once they join the classic network, Pendolinos could actually be the quicker option on longer routes says Gibb.
The Information Daily: Trainspotting part HS2: Coalition grandstanding returns to haunt them
Pity poor old HS2. Friends of the nascent high-speed rail link joining London, Birmingham and Manchester are more and more difficult to find.
It was not always so. Only six months ago on 28th January this year Cameron, Clegg, Osborne and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin shared a hymn sheet as they announced the plans for Phase 2 of High Speed Two….
“Britain must seize the unparalleled opportunity presented by High Speed 2 to generate jobs, rebalance the economy and secure the country’s future prosperity,” the Prime Minister said. Fine words, though he almost certainly did not mean to suggest that the building of a new railway line over a period of 20 years was our only hope of rebalancing the economy and securing the country’s future prosperity” all by itself. Did he? Well did he?
The Guardian: Cameron’s railway investment claims more 1950s than Victorian
Danny Alexander’s admission that government has little way of knowing level of investment prior to 1951 undermines boasts
…Hunt said he was writing to the Office of National Statistics to investigate the government’s claims. He said: “This is increasingly a faith-based government rather than an evidence-based one. Not content with inventing statistics, the government is intent on reinventing the past. For Danny Alexander to think he can be mentioned in the same breath as Isambard Kingdom Brunel shows an audacity of hope. Moreover, the Victorians invested consistently right across the country rather than just pump priming the south-east.”
The Mirror: HS2 rail line is being built the wrong way up, says think-tank
Experts are urging the Government to construct high-speed line from north to south, rather than south to north
The controversial HS2 rail line should be built BACKWARDS, says a top think-tank, the Sunday People can reveal.
Bucks Free Press: HS2 campaigners slam ‘insulting’ Transport Minister
TRANSPORT Minister Simon Burns has incurred the wrath of HS2 opponents after this week telling them to stop opposing the scheme through the courts.
Belper News: High speed rail would ‘devastate’ Belper countryside
Plans, which could see high speed trains whizzing through Belper countryside, have been slammed by councillors.
As reported in the Belper News, proposals have been put forward to make Derby the East Midlands destination of the HS2 high speed rail network.
ITV: Ex-Kent MP opposes second high speed plan
Former Conservative shadow transport secretary and ex-Kent MP Archie Norman has joined a growing lost of political figures opposed to HS2. Mr Norman, who is also Chairman of ITV, has been telling the Sunday Telegraph of his concerns.