Now let’s get on and build it says transport boss as HS2 challenges are rejected
Posted: 24 July 2013 | | 1 comment
Transport boss Geoff Inskip says now is the time to work together and press on with HS2…
Centro Chief Executive Geoff Inskip
Transport boss Geoff Inskip says now is the time to work together and press on with HS2 after the Court of Appeal today rejected all seven challenges from opponents to the scheme.
Mr Inskip, chief executive of Centro the region’s transport authority, said he welcomed the news the challenges had been dismissed as it was time for authorities to work together to get the best possible benefits from HS2.
“HS2 will connect eight of our ten major cities with fast, direct services and release capacity on our increasingly congested existing rail network. We’re working with authorities across the West Midlands to ensure the best possible connectivity with HS2 and we’ve already expressed our desire to build a High Speed Rail Centre of Excellence in the West Midlands.
“Now is the time to get on and build it.”
Mr Inskip said economic research revealed that phase one of HS2 – from Birmingham to London – would deliver 22,000 jobs and a boost of £1.5bn per year to the West Midlands.
He said the jobs and economic benefits would increase significantly when Centro announced details of research for phase two of HS2 linking Birmingham with Manchester and Leeds.
HS2 will cut journey times between Birmingham and Manchester from around 90 minutes to 41 minutes and a typical journey from Birmingham to Leeds of around two hours will be halved to 57 minutes.
Mr Inskip is undoubtedly correct in his assertion that the West Midlands will reap great economic benefits from HS2 and that journey times to the the other two benficiaries – Manchester and Leeds – will be slashed. However many people currently travel to/from Birmingham from other areas of the country but nobody at HS2 Ltd, Network Rail or the DfT has yet said how journey times to such places as Bristol, Liverpool and East Anglia will be significantly reduced.