Wendover HS2

Wendover HS2′s financial expert Dr John Savin has written a new piece on the poor HS2 business case. This has been published in the London city paper City A.M.:

No recessions for 80 years: The fanciful world of High Speed Rail 2’s business case

This shows that most of the benefits from HS2 won’t be felt until after 2043!

You can read a more detailed paper, which the Wendover HS2 Business Group, submitted to the Transport Select Committee here.

The Government has announced that it intends to press ahead with plans to build a new high-speed rail line. We are very disappointed that the Government has not listened to the strong case against the current HS2 proposals.

We will make a further statement once we have analysed in detail the information accompanying the Government’s announcement.

Wendover HS2 Strategic Committee

Many newspapers have stated that HS2 has been given the go-ahead. This is not the case: while Ministers have announced that they intend to press ahead with the scheme, it is Parliament that will have to approve HS2 in 2013 in a Hybrid Bill.  This makes it even more important to register your opposition to the project with your MP if you have not done so.

You can email your MP quickly and simply at http://www.highspeedrail.org.uk

The new Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, has delayed her announcement about whether the High Speed 2 project should go ahead.. In a written statement to Parliament, she said:

“Since taking up office in October I have been considering the issues, raised as part of the consultation and additionally have listened to the views of Honourable Members. In order to ensure that my decision is based on a careful consideration of all relevant factors, I have concluded that I should allow myself until early in 2012 to announce my decisions. I am therefore notifying the House that I will not be making a further statement on the subject of high speed rail this year, but I expect to announce my decisions in January.’

Challenging many of the key principles of the current High Speed 2 scheme, The Transport Select Committee has just published its report on the Government’s high-speed rail proposals.

While supporting the development of a high-speed rail network in the UK, the Committee highlighted fundamental flaws in the HS2 plan currently proposed by Government. Wendover HS2 shares these concerns and welcomes the Committee’s position on the environmental impact of the scheme, and their call for the Government to take account of severe damage to the environment in the business case for the scheme.

The Committee concludes that slightly slower, less environmentally damaging routes, for instance alongside a motorway, were ruled out prematurely and that the Government should look again at re-routing the line via Heathrow.  The Labour Party, which recently published its own critical assessment of the Government’s HS2 plans, is likewise in favour of a route via Heathrow and alongside existing motorways.

The Transport Committee’s report also raises concerns about the actual technical feasibility of HS2, pointing out that 18 trains per hour on a high-speed line has never been attempted.

Marion Clayton, Chair of Wendover HS2, said:

“We have argued consistently that HS2 as currently proposed will have a devastating impact on the environment, and will do nothing to help reduce the UK’s carbon emissions. The Committee was quite clear that HS2 should not be promoted by Government as a carbon reduction scheme, and that designing the line for 250mph trains will have a substantial impact on the countryside and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“We support the Committee’s call for the Government to reassess the seriously flawed business case and provide proof of why the Government regards this proposed HS2 scheme as better than the cost-effective alternatives. The Government is about to commit the country to this £32 billion scheme, which will destroy the natural environment we hold in trust for future generations.”

The Transport Committee’s report on high-speed rail is available at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmtran/1185/118502.htm

The Transport Secretary is expected to announce her decision on whether to proceed with the scheme by the end of the year.

About 1000 people visited the Wendover HS2 marquee on Saturday to hear the latest about the campaign against the proposed HS2 rail line.

Speakers included Martin Tett, leader of Bucks County Council, Hilary Wharf from the HS2 Action Alliance, Shirley Judges from the Chilterns Conservation Board and Joe Rukin from Stop HS2.   David Lidington MP, who was absent due to an urgent meeting in Brussels, sent a video message of support.

Members of the Wendover action group were on hand with maps and models of the route, and detailed information about noise and environmental impacts of the proposal; there was entertainment from the Amersham Brass Band, plus games for children, a tombola and a roving elephant.

The two key themes of the day were the massive and wasteful cost of HS2 and the terrible environmental damage it would wreak. Martin Tett said it was “completely and utterly immoral” to spend at least £32 billion of taxpayers’ money on the project when alternative methods of improving passenger capacity on the West Coast Main Line could be implemented for about £3 billion. Shirley Judges, meanwhile, stressed the legal status of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as a nationally protected landscape and outlined the devasting impact HS2 would have.

The message from all speakers was that the campaign is by no means over and that local authorities, environmental groups, and the campaigning groups will be pressing the new Transport Secretary to reject the current HS2 proposals and, if the Government decides to press ahead with the scheme, will continue to oppose the current scheme through all available means. Everyone was encouraged to write to their own MP via http://www.highspeedrail.org.uk and to pass the website address to their friends living away from the route.

View the speeches from the rally

Hundreds of protesters against the proposed HS2 rail line demonstrated outside Parliament on Thursday.  The demo coincided with an MPs’ debate on HS2 in which Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire, led the arguments against the high-speed line.  Labour and Conservative MPs spoke out against the plan, with many opponents arguing that the £32 billion cost can not be justified.

You can read the text of the debate here in Hansard.

The Wendover HS2 Information Centre has moved to new premises in Back Street, opposite Borders / Aces High. It is open from 10.30am to 1pm every Saturday.

Come along to find out the latest about HS2 or to pick up some information leaflets, flyers and posters.

Pupils at the John Colet School, Wendover, were invited to enter a competition to create a poster to highlight an effect the proposed high-speed rail line would have on the Wendover area, during or after construction. It was suggested that impacts could, for example, be noise and visual intrusion, carbon footprint, air quality, financial implications and so on.

Wendover HS2 would like to thank and congratulate all the entrants. The posters were judged on their creativity, design, impact, and originality.

The first prize winners in each group (year 7 – Joy Chiappella, year 8 – Dylan Shellard and Harriet Gordon, and year 9 and above – Hollidae Wilkinson and Georgia Lindstrom)  received book vouchers donated by Wendover HS2. Runners up received John Colet memory sticks donated by the school.

You can see the winning posters and runners up in each group by clicking on the following links:

Year 7: 1st prize: Joy Chiappella; runners up: Abbie Law, Imogen Kerr, Emily Ranieri.

Year 8: Runners up: Alice Ludlow, Kieran Murray, Paige Cook; joint 1st prize: Harriet Gordon, Dylan Shellard.

Year 9 and above: Joint 1st prize: Georgia Lindstrom, Hollidae Wilkinson; runners up: Chloe Goddard, Emma Eastgate.