19th March 2014, 07:00 PM
I use internal flights along with road and rail - it all depends on what suits best for a particular journey. HS2 should not be seen as a substitute for internal flights - those who prefer to fly will carry on doing it no matter how quick the rail journey becomes.
I prefer to see HS2 in the context of the national rail network rather than simply a faster way to get from A to B. Having worked on a number of rail projects, one of the key issues is that of capacity. The West Coast Mainline is operating close to full capacity at the moment and passenger numbers are continuing to increase. It would be possible to increase capacity but this would be very expensive (as the line passes through built-up areas in many places) and would really just be a temporary solution. Building a new route is a good idea in terms of the overall network - it will free up a considerable amount of capacity on the West Coast Mainline (and other lines) which will allow for the establishment of better local passenger services and bettter freight services, both of which will take traffic off the road network. If there is going to be a new route, it might as well be a high speed line. Yes it will impact on the historic environment - as do new roads, runways and other major developments - as PP has pointed out (and NPPF, PPS5 etc) we need to look at the wider public benefits when considering such schemes.
Beamo
I prefer to see HS2 in the context of the national rail network rather than simply a faster way to get from A to B. Having worked on a number of rail projects, one of the key issues is that of capacity. The West Coast Mainline is operating close to full capacity at the moment and passenger numbers are continuing to increase. It would be possible to increase capacity but this would be very expensive (as the line passes through built-up areas in many places) and would really just be a temporary solution. Building a new route is a good idea in terms of the overall network - it will free up a considerable amount of capacity on the West Coast Mainline (and other lines) which will allow for the establishment of better local passenger services and bettter freight services, both of which will take traffic off the road network. If there is going to be a new route, it might as well be a high speed line. Yes it will impact on the historic environment - as do new roads, runways and other major developments - as PP has pointed out (and NPPF, PPS5 etc) we need to look at the wider public benefits when considering such schemes.
Beamo