A number of different organisations are producing advice on answering the HS2 Consultation. This is from the document produced by the Kenilworth Stop HS2 Action Group Committee.
It is our belief that the HS2 consultation is stacked, whilst supporting information is incomplete, incorrect and contradictory. It is for that reason that the Kenilworth Stop HS2 Action Group believes that the only reasonable option, save that of scrapping the project, is to call for a full public inquiry. We believe it would only be right to hold a public inquiry, given Government claims that HS2 is the largest single civil engineering project the country will ever have seen.
We are advising the public to answer as many of the official questions to the consultation as they feel comfortable with, but to supplement this with individual letters calling for the project to be scrapped, or at least a that a full public inquiry should be held, opposed to the planned ‘hybrid bill’, which would ride roughshod over existing planning legislation.
The reason it is so important to send an individual letter stating clear opposition to this project is because the consultation seems to be deliberately worded to entice people to support HS2, despite the fact it has not been assessed against better, cheaper upgrades to the existing rail network.
Fact sheets have been prepared, there is a synopsis of suggested responses to the consultation questions below and there is a wealth of information online via links on www.hs2cv8.co.uk, www.stophs2.org and www.hs2aa.com, but we urge everyone to use their own words when responding to the consultation.
Responses to the HS2 Consultation must be in by FRIDAY 29TH JULY.
Yours, The Kenilworth Stop HS2 Action Group Committee.
Probably not,as it’s difficult to know whom to believe.HS2 Ltd have changed their tune on “no-vegetation”,but,assuredly,wouldn’t want trees near the power lines. If and when the new line receives Parliamentary consent,there could be further changes.They might,for example,decide to add freight,calling for extra tracking,like adding another lane to a motorway.Who knows?
You may as well define High Speed rail as Intercity limited stop express services, which are the biggest revenue earner on the UK network. Yesterday saw a major failure of the electrical infrastucture on the ECML, which resulted in packed trains on the MML and WCML. I do know that Network Rail have concerns about the increasing number of issues on the ECML. in particular relating to power.
I have been advocating for a public inquiry for HS2, these have been very good when held in the past on rail issues.
Another important consideration, linked to the fact there would be no ‘planning application’ because they have chosen using the ill considered Hybrid Bill, would be construction. Hours of working, noise etc etc which are usually part of an open planning app. would be hidden in the Bill. I have asked about hours and mitigation etc during construction, but was told they hadn’t thought about it but have found people felt it’s better to live in hell for a short period rather than purgatory for a longer period!
Can someone please tell me what mph is classified as high speed rail?
It depends which definition you use. According to the EU it is 250 km/h (156.25mph) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_Directive_96/48/EC
EU directives!! You have to wonder just how many beaurocrats it took to come up with a definition of high speed rail………suprised we dont have ” high speed roads “.
Those of you who have concerns about the ” no vegetation ” plans for HS2…..I mentioned above the issues faced by passengers on the ECML over the weekend, the problem was caused by a tree falling onto the line. The branches came to rest on top of the power lines which then got entangled in the pantograph of a passing East Coast train. This caused a lot of damage and major disruption
we do ! we call them motorways / autoroute / autostrada / autobahn !
but as i have just commented on the newcastle blog, if we had called them high speed roads i guess everyone would have focussed on that and ignored the reall reason they were built – to reduce congestion, reduce accidents and stimultae economic growth.
so hs2 should be called hchs2 – high capacity high speed two ! or maybe if it were just high capacity two some citics would not be so well – critical !!!
HC2 – the sooner the better ! (saves any interim work on west coast mainline)
Ah, the dreaded “No vegetation zone”…
Originally it was proposed that such a strip, some 25m wide, should be created each side of the tracks.
This was picked up by several protest groups, whose leaflets warned us to expect a steriel bare strip “wider than the football pitch of Wembley Stadium” or “much wider..( than this HS1 illustrated), the width of two three lane motorways, at least…”
Actor Geoffrey Palmer, voicing the Chiltern Sciety’s DVD, sent to all MPs (and available at £5 a copy), mentions the width of the HS2 line as “75m minimum”.
This figure is derived from from adding 25m (bare zone) x2 +22m trackbed, (including a single track strip roadway to one side of the tracks.)
But this isn’t all. At the” White Elephant Day” at Amersham Cllr. Martin Tett, at that time Environmental and Planning spokesman on Bucks.CC, was reported as declaring that ..”no plant life would be allowed within 100 metres of the track”.
If he really said this and really meant it, then he was stating that, even on level ground, the railway would occupy a strip of land 222 metres wide!(100m+22m+100m)
Impressed with Cllr. Tett’s “more aggressive” attitude to HS2, his fellow CC Members elected him as their new Leader instead of Cllr. David Shakespeare.
In fact, as confirmed to me by the HS2 Chief Engineer at a Roadshow, The Vegetation Free Zone strips are no longer included in the HS2 plans. THERE IS NO” VEGETATION FREE” ZONE. The trackbed is “UP TO 22 METRES” wide.
Will Cllr. Tett withdraw his (popular but unfounded) words- and will several thousand leaflets be amended or pulped..?
Finmere’s comment is in respect of new lines/track. For existing track, it is 200 kph (124 mph) according to the EU.