Analysis

Video: Colin Eliff - High Speed Two is too expensive; there is an alternative

The UK should park its current plans for HS2 and focus on a new north-south rail route called High Speed UK, says HSUK’s civil engineering principal Colin Eliff.

The £50bn High Speed 2 scheme is a flawed plan that fails to create a network of cities interconnected by high speed lines and does not properly connect into the existing rail network, according to Colin Eliff, principal of lobby group High Speed UK.

The independent and self-financed lobby group is working hard to drum up support for its alternative to the proposed HS2 north-south route which, it says, would deliver a better rail solution at a lower financial and environmental cost.

“We would argue that there are 16 major cities, all of which deserve to be fully interconnected to create regional powerhouses, not just better connections with London." Colin Eliff, HSUK

Speaking at the recent Tomorrow’s Rail event, Eliff said HSUK has contributed with its alternative throughout the HS2 planning process, but so far it has been ignored.

“Development of HS2 has been completely focused on the lines it was originally remitted to build, which had to pass through Old Oak Common. Therefore, the more sensible route following the M1 corridor, doing far less environmental damage and being better configured to form a national network was ignored,” Eliff said.

Far from risking that nothing will get built, proposing an alternative prevents the danger of creating a “two tier Britain”, one of cities that have a high speed connection and those that don’t, explained Eliff. “This has been arbitrarily decided and no-one’s having the debate about what comprises a national network and what are the priorities.

“We would argue that there are 16 major cities, all of which deserve to be fully interconnected to create regional powerhouses, not just better connections with London. Our planning shows 40% journey time savings and modal shift far beyond anything envisaged so far, actually meeting our climate change obligations,” he added.

The HS2 scheme is progressing through Parliament with support from a lot of MPs, but HSUK is not pushing against a locked door, Eliff pointed out.

“Now there is a real agenda for a Northern Powerhouse and recognition that northern cities have to be properly connected. We can deliver all of the aspired journey times, independent of having to develop HS2 from London. Our proposals are completely sectionable. With HS2 the bottom section has to get done first, then the top of the Y and only after then will the benefits start to spread north.”

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