'Rail plan will have no benefit for Bristol'
MORE than £32 billion is to be invested in a new high speed rail network – but Bristol's embattled passengers are unlikely to reap the rewards.
Ministers claimed the whole of the country would gain from the HS2 scheme through reduced capacity on roads and other rail networks.
But critics said there would be "absolutely no benefits whatsoever" for the region.
The go-ahead for the ambitious scheme, announced in Parliament yesterday, dashed hopes of a direct rail link between the South West and Heathrow Airport.
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The Great Western Mainline will connect to the HS2 network at a new interchange at Old Oak Common in West London, but it is unlikely this would become the preferred route to the North West from Bristol.
Asked how Bristol could benefit, Transport Secretary Justine Greening, right, told the Evening Post the connection with the Great Western Mainline would ease congestion on the South West's network and reduce the number of car journeys by nine million a year.
She said: "It's not just high-speed rail for people on the routes. It will also take some pressure off existing lines."
Benefits will be felt "far more broadly than the cities it directly serves", she added.
And Kingswood Tory MP Chris Skidmore said the investment would "bring overall benefit to Britain".
But William Dartmouth, a UKIP Euro-MP for the South West, said: "This project will cost taxpayers in the South West almost £110 million pounds, and will have absolutely no benefits whatsoever for local people."
He added: "The whole project is a sop to the big parties' marginal seats in the West Midlands. They have either forgotten or don't care about the needs of people in the South West."
Comments
by Charlespk
Wednesday, January 11 2012, 9:24PM
“@katachua 8:41PM
The number of journeys made by motor vehicles on roads, make journeys by any other form of transport pale into insignificance.
Railways are now a highly expensive and obsolete form of transport.
High Speed rail is expensive, damaging and more polluting per mile per person than motor cars.
In the days of the internet the UK will have no benefit from it. It will be as pointless as Concorde for the average person. You can have a face to face conversation with friends (or business associates) in Australia with a laptop.”
by katachua
Wednesday, January 11 2012, 8:41PM
“@Charlespk
"it would make far more sense to turn some of the existing (mainly not used. .Think of a railway line and then think of a motorway.) railway lines into motorways to enable the distribution of goods around the country by road to be far more efficient."
1. More people travelled by rail last year than any peacetime year since 1923.
2. Compare the width of a motorway with that of a double-track main line.”
by holejamie
Wednesday, January 11 2012, 7:39PM
“This railway is costing us money with no gain for us and all to save people 30mins! Why not just get a job in Birmingham and then no need to commute to London!!
SIGN THE PETITION : http://tinyurl.com/3jqbhyg”
by Tim_M
Wednesday, January 11 2012, 6:30PM
“A direct link to Heathrow was never realistic anyway, with or without Oak Old Commons. There just aren't enough passengers / hour to make it worthwhile. Much better to have a high-frequency westward rail-link from Heathrow to Reading (crossrail extension?) or a link to Old Oak Commons.”
by Charlespk
Wednesday, January 11 2012, 2:17PM
“We agree on something Baldeeheed. (Wednesday, January 11 2012, 12:41PM)
Hallelujah! . . Make a note please someone.
HS2 will destroy the environment where ever it passes, whilst bringing absolutely no benefit to the overwhelming majority of us.(And I'll probably be dead anyway.)
As motor cars will still only produce similar amounts of CO2 emissions, as internet trading increasingly takes hold, it would make far more sense to turn some of the existing (mainly not used. .Think of a railway line and then think of a motorway.) railway lines into motorways to enable the distribution of goods around the country by road to be far more efficient.”
by Baldeeheed
Wednesday, January 11 2012, 12:41PM
“HS2 is a giant white elephant.
Just imagine what could be done with the £32+billion cost.
We need to get the basics right - local rail, public transport etc etc before we start spending ludicrous amounts of money on vanity schemes like HS2.
If Bristol could have just 1% of the money being spent on HS2 (£32+billion) and Crossrail (£16+billion) we would get at least £480 million for our own lamentable public transport.
Just imagine what we could do with that.”
by katachua
Wednesday, January 11 2012, 10:10AM
“AS a passionate advocate of railways, I have to agree with nljack.”
by nljack
Wednesday, January 11 2012, 8:50AM
“Did anyone really expect that HS2 would reach to Bristol. We have the £2billion upgraded GWR main line to look forward too long before HS2 actually operates.”