Government renews commitment to HS2
21st October 2016
Last week, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling confirmed that, regardless of the ascension of a new Prime Minister, the government remains committed to the UK's £50 billion High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project.
David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne were passionate advocates for HS2, but since they left Downing Street earlier this year, uncertainty has crept into many areas of governmental policy, with doubts strengthened by the UK’s vote to leave the EU in June.
Many of the project’s opponents had hoped that this uncertainty would topple plans, and yet Chris Grayling has confirmed construction work on HS2 will proceed as planned in early 2017.
He said: “We’re facing a rapidly approaching crunch-point. In the last twenty years alone, the number of people travelling on our railways has more than doubled and our rail network is the most intensively used of any in Europe.
“We need it for the boost it will give to our regional and national economies. And we need it for the jobs it will create, and for the way it will link our country together.”
When asked about the HS2 Phase Two route to Manchester and Leeds, Mr. Grayling said that a decision will be made before the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the project has faced significant opposition from several political parties and industry leaders.
Director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Mark Littlewood, said the project was a 'wildly inefficient solution' to improving transport capacity.
In his comments, he said: "This vanity project offers zero value for money for taxpayers who will bear the burden of the cost: one which the IEA estimates will exceed £80 billion - more than double what the Government initially planned for."
However, Chris Grayling envisions that the £55.7 billion project will be the catalyst for an 'Elizabethan age of British rail'.
It has also been announced that a £70 million pot will compensate those affected by the building of HS2. Of this, £40 million will be allocated to councils along the first phase of the route between London and Birmingham. Charities, local businesses and community groups will also be able to apply for the money.
Residents who face the prospect of the line running close to their properties have not yet been told what compensation, if any, they can expect.
The first phase of the HS2 route - London to Birmingham - is slated for completion by 2026.
Written by Ian Johnson
