HS2 is essential for much-needed capacity on our rail network, says BCC
Reacting to Transport Secretary Justine Greening's announcement that High Speed 2 (HS2) will move forward, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
"Businesses up and down the country will welcome the government's decision to proceed with HS2. But this project must be seen as one part of a comprehensive package of infrastructure improvements to underpin economic growth.
"HS2 is about increasing rail capacity in Britain, not just about speed. Without HS2, which would treble capacity, overcrowding will get worse, fares will rise, and delays will become even more common. Britain cannot continue to 'make do and mend' when it comes to its sub-standard infrastructure. Fundamentally, our global competitiveness is at stake.
"However, the battle for HS2 is not yet won. Ministers must legislate swiftly, and within this parliament, to demonstrate their rock-solid commitment to delivering a national high speed rail network. Further delays, for any reason, are not an option.
"Finally, this announcement must be complemented by commitments to detail the route of the high-speed network to the North of England and Scotland, to improve conventional rail services, and to deal with pressing capacity problems at our airports and on the roads."
HS2 is essential to the North-West - not only for long-distance connectivity with London and Europe southwards but more importantly for potential links with Scotland, Cumbria and the Greater North which represents a large and contiguous economic area for the region.
We therefore call on the Government to work closely with the Scottish Administration which is equally committed to the scheme. Additionally HS2 will free-up network capacity for increased local services which connect our major towns and cities including Chester, Warrington, Preston, Blackburn, Blackpool and Carlisle with the larger metropolitan areas of Manchester and Liverpool.
By also making paths available for freight trains along the classic West Coast Mainline network, HS2 will deliver savings in cost, carbon and road-miles. This represents a triple-win which we warmly welcome.
Early legislation to cement the government's commitment to the scheme is now of critical importance - we call on this to be taken forward within the course of the next year.
