Herald Tribune: As Cost of U.K. Rail Project Grows, So Does Resistance
ALTOFTS, England — A proposed high-speed railroad known as HS2 is Britain’s biggest and most controversial transportation plan, a Continental-style “grand projet” meant to ease crowded trains and congested tracks, reduce automobile traffic and generate economic growth.
Barnsley Chronicle: Councillor urges protest over HS2 plans
A Royston councillor has issued a rallying call to residents to speak out over the prospect of a high-speed rail link going through a local nature reserve.
Coun Tim Cheetham said villagers need to make their voices heard over the proposed route for HS2 — which will cut straight through Rabbit Ings Country Park.
Camden New Journal: Boris Johnson says he will ‘win fight’ over HS2 plan
BORIS Johnson has told the New Journal that he is “totally opposed” to a “half-hearted” HS2 redevelopment of Euston.
The Mayor of London said he was determined to “win” a heavyweight political battle over the proposed scheme that has been radically scaled back after costs rocketed by more than £1billion.
Tamworth Herald: HS2 meeting before consultation begins
MORE than 100 residents in Stonydelph and Hockley with concerns over HS2 attended a meeting hosted by Tamworth Borough Council and town MP Christopher Pincher
Labour List: Time to shunt HS2 into the sidings?
The ill-conceived HS2 project loses more support by the day. As Peter Mandelson and Alistair Darling are now arguing, this is one infrastructure scheme that really deserves to hit the buffers.
As I wrote last year, the economic case for HS2, always rather weak, gets worse by the week. The cost of this already expensive project has been revealed to have gone up by £10 billion to £42 billion. And this excludes the actual trains to run on the line, which would add another £7 billion.
Ham and High: Council calls for more compensation for Camden residents in fight against HS2
Camden Council has called for a review of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail budget after a report found that an inadequate amount of money has been set aside to compensate Camden residents and business owners who will be forced to relocate.
The £400 million compensation fund for Camden included in the budget for HS2, the railway project to link London Euston with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, is not enough, according to a report carried out by a team of consultants.
Farming UK news: < a href="http://www.farminguk.com/News/Farms-in-limbo-as-HS2-compensation-fight-continues_26154.html">Farms ‘in limbo’ as HS2 compensation fight continues
The recent safeguarding of the proposed route of HS2 by the Department for Transport protects it from any conflicting development.
It also triggers the statutory rights of property owners within 60 metres of the route to serve a Blight Notice on HS2 Limited, the government-owned body charged with the overseeing the construction of the railway. This allows property owners to request that the government purchase their property at market value, under the terms of the Compensation Code.
Scunthorpe Telegraph: Invest in HS2 or rural transport?
…By contrast, only five per cent of our population travels by train. Even fewer have the pressing need to travel from Birmingham to London in 20 minutes less than it already takes. For the most highflying of executives, modern technology keeps them in touch with the centre of their universe, regardless of where they happen to be in person. The widespread availability of mobile telephones, laptops, tablets (computer ones, that is), e-mail, the internet, teleconferencing and video-conferencing means that multi-billion-pound companies can be controlled from a beach in Barbados if the super-exec chooses.
With the press hammering hs2 it must be time now for the PM to call a halt to this project .we can not afford this amount of money to get a few rich people .about the sooner the better they put an end this the better it will be for everyone
I just can’t believe Cameron is so stupid. 94db (a plane landing) and the air pressure blowing you off every 2-4 minutes!
Does he have any idea what HS2 is about? He is obviously not listening or he is deaf.
Normal Cameron open mouth, is there a brain to engage? It’s total ignorance in every respect, but just as worrying is the fact people believe him.
Did he learn anything at Oxford other than, if you say something often enough people will believe you.
He no doubt thinks the moon is made of cheese.
The article actually says “Networks of safe cycle paths will be built in eight cities and four national parks, while the Government is also considering a national cycleway to run alongside the HS2 rail line from London to Manchester”. Waving an appealing carrot of an idea at cyclists – yes, a proposal – no.
The Times reports a proposal to run a national cycle lane along the HS2 route from London to Manchester.
Strangely enough this does not figure in any of the consultations, DES etc.
It seems any political gambit can be used to bolster the spin/PR on the scheme. This one tapping into the cycling lobby.
I’m interested in this suggestion,Paul, though I’m not sure if I should care to cycle for any distance beside the line when it was in service.
However, there are excellent possibilities for making use of the line.
There have long been suggestions for a long distance water trunk line to balance areas of high demand, to counter areas of drought and regions with excess water and subject to frequent flood.
Neither the various privatised water companies, nor the River and Canal Authority could afford such a scheme alone, but if a new corridor is to be created, then surely it would be good to maximise possible multiple use so as to avoid duplication of routes and consequent disruption.
I understand that in the USA many rail companies derive substantial income from ‘wayleave’ payments, with communication cables and pipelines running underground beside the tracks.
If continuous ducts were built beside the tracks, under the trackside paths , then provision could be made for a variety of future possible uses with minimal disruption when cables came to be installed.
There is already a substantial amount of rail-side ducting – HS2 does not help.
Cable, TV and phone companies all run fibre along the current trunk routes and have done so for many years. That is how communication already works in the UK! HS2 will not add to this capability as it passes by the same cities and communities as the current “network”. That, in my opinion, is another objection to HS2. It does not enable the creation of New Towns, nor does it attempt to create new connections.