High Speed Rail has been a key policy for the Liberal Democrats for many years, as part of our plans to reduce domestic flights and get people out of their cars and onto rail. The Government has recently consulted on its plans for High Speed 2. As Liberal Democrat Spokesperson, Caroline has responded to the consultation.
In addition, the London Assembly Transport Committee held a hearing in July to hear from all sides about High Speed 2 and its impact on transport in London, as well as carrying out site visits to Euston and Old Oak Common.
It is clear that should High Speed 2 go ahead, a lot of investment will be needed in London’s transport infrastructure, including a new tube line, if London is to cope with the potential increase in passengers.
The Committee's response identifies a number of changes to the route and interchanges in London that are needed if HS2 is to go ahead. The response highlights:
- The need for a new Tube line in the form of Crossrail 2 (Chelsea to Hackney) to address the potential for local transport at Euston to be swamped by thousands of extra HS2 passengers.
- Plans for Euston station that would increase its size by up to a third, with the loss of valuable green space, residential areas and businesses. The Government is urged to explore alternative designs for the station, such as the continental ’stacking’ of lines, which could reduce the footprint of the new station and minimise the disruption caused during construction and operation.
- Concerns about plans to run trains above ground through large parts of Hillingdon. The Committee suggests the Government looks at tunnelling this part of the route instead to spare west Londoners the worst of the impact.
- The unacceptably adverse affect on London Overground passengers and freight traffic that the current plans to link HS2 to HS1 on the North London Line would have.
- The lack of detail about how the interchange at Old Oak Common would work. Members also urge HS2 Ltd to look at Stratford International – which already has most of the infrastructure to accommodate high speed services - as an alternative east London interchange.
High speed rail has enormous potential but the current proposals for High Speed 2 fail to properly address the effects it would have on local communities and London’s existing transport network.
“Plans for HS2 need considerable work to make them right for London and we hope to see a far more detailed set of proposals that address all of the issues we’ve raised. One of the most critical issues is the absolute necessity of a new Tube line if HS2 goes ahead, so London can cope with the extra passengers it will bring into the capital”, commented Caroline.
The Uxbridge Gazette reports on this issue and highlights the problems with the government's website for the consultation, which crashed due to the number of people who wanted to express their views.