Upcoming Events :
Housing Seminar: Partnerships with the Public Sector – Avoiding the pitfalls
Thu 31 May 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
HS2 announcement welcomed
Wed 11 Jan 2012
Industry and passenger organisations have welcomed the government's announcement that a high-speed rail network is to be created in England.
The coalition this week gave official approval to the HS2 project, which will see a high-speed rail line created between London and Birmingham by 2026.
According to Passenger Focus, this "long-term increase in capacity" is a positive development, since a growing number of people are choosing to travel by rail.
Meanwhile, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said HS2 should help to ease the burden on many of Britain's existing major rail corridors.
Indeed, it stated that the infrastructure upgrades should free up space on lines that are already in place. ATOC said this means passengers will be able to enjoy "faster and more frequent local services" in places located between Birmingham and London.
Michael Roberts, chief executive of the group, described HS2 as a "vote of confidence" in Britain's railways and said the government has recognised how the sector can play a key role in driving sustainable growth in the economy.
This week's announcement has also been welcomed by the UK's major business groups.
The CBI said confirmation that HS2 will go ahead should avert a crisis on the West Coast Main Line in the future that could have led to rail freight being "squeezed out".
John Cridland, director-general of the organisation, stated that it is correct to plan for the "infrastructure which the next generation will need".
He also commended the second phase of the HS2 project, which will see further high-speed lines extending from Birmingham to both Leeds and Manchester.
Mr Cridland said that by including the north of England on the network, the economic growth it will help to generate will be spread across different regions.
The British Chambers of Commerce added that improving the quality of Britain's transport infrastructure should help to make the country more competitive on a global platform.
Richard Bull, a solicitor at Winckworth Sherwood, commented: "Business and other interests' lobbying efforts paid off. They pointed with alarm to the UK's ranking of 28 in the World Economic Forum's assessment of infrastructure quality - HS2, they argued, will boost our ranking, which in turn will boost our overall competitiveness.
"There was also cross-party support for the announcement when Justine Greening made a statement to MPs. Despite concerns from some MPs through whose constituencies HS2 will run, it is clear that the Bill should have a healthy majority when it is introduced next year."
