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The Environmental Case for High Speed Rail

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The Environmental Case for High Speed Rail PAGE 4 THE UNION RAILWAY - ANDREW ADONIS PAGE 5 THE UNION RAILWAY - ANDREW ADONIS country. In the decade to 2006 passenger I believe that high speed rail could be kilometres rose by 42 per cent – the a revolutionary change for the UK, like highest rate of growth in Europe – and now the original railways of Stephenson THE UNION RAILWAY are at a higher level than at any time since and Brunel: not only a piece of new 1946. In contrast, Germany only achieved transport infrastructure, but a bold Andrew Adonis 22 per cent, Italy 5 per cent and France 34 economic policy for jobs and growth, per cent. Train punctuality and reliability a bold industrial policy to drive high- are at their highest level ever, thanks in tech engineering and innovation, and a part to modernisation of the train fleet; bold nation-building policy to promote A transport revolution is sweeping This global transformation led President and the number of services on the network national unity and help overcome the the world. High speed rail, largely Obama to observe recently that “High is at its highest level since Beeching. north-south divide, one of our most the preserve of Japan and France speed rail is not some fanciful pie-in-the- debilitating legacies from the past. until the 1990s, is now embraced sky vision of the future. It is happening More than £150bn has been invested by most major European and Asian right now. The problem is it’s been in transport infrastructure over the past Just look at the French, for whom the countries as their next generation happening elsewhere, not here.” decade. Thanks to John Prescott, we now TGV is not just a train but a vision of the backbone transport infrastructure. have the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, now future and a means to bring it about. The Well, it’s not happening here in Britain symbolically renamed as High Speed One, TGV is a force for national integration High speed rail is green, clean, fast, either, apart from the short line from and the gloriously rebuilt railway cathedral and regeneration and a source of intense high capacity, safe and reliable. It also London to the Channel Tunnel. And just as of St Pancras. Furthermore, our experience national pride, as much as a faster dramatically shrinks the psychological President Obama went on to say “there’s of HS1 is a positive one. As well as and more efficient means of transport distance between city centres, which can no reason why we can’t do this; this is Eurostar services to Paris and Brussels, local providing additional inter-city rail capacity. be a key driver in dispersing economic America” – so too there is no reason why services to Medway and East Kent towns The current French Prime Minister, activity from dominant cities and regions we can’t do this; this is Britain, the country are now starting to come into service, with Francois Fillon, recently described the to those beyond. In short, it is now pretty that invented the railways, and the country the new 140mph Javelin trains running TGV as one of the two infrastructural well a “no brainer” transport strategy which, in High Speed One, already has a on the high speed line to Ashford or transformations of modern France; for the 21st century, in place of extra state-of-the-art high-speed line, even if it Ebbsfleet and then on the existing lines to the other being energy independence motorways or short-haul aviation, provided is only 68 miles long and doesn’t actually destinations including Folkestone, Margate through the French nuclear programme. that realistic and sustainable mobility connect any of Britain’s major cities. and Canterbury, slashing journey times and requirements justify the investment, and its improving their connections. It is the very Britain’s major cities have a huge amount environmental impact, in the first place. So I am determined that at the Labour success of High Speed One – including to gain from high-speed rail and I strongly Conference this year – and in our manifesto its new terminus at St Pancras – which has welcome the “connecting cities” campaign, In France, more than 400 TGV sets now run for the coming election - Labour leads galvanised support for the second national chaired by Richard Leese, and supported over 1,100 miles of new high speed line, the way in setting out a compelling vision high-speed line which we are now planning. by Steve Purcell of Glasgow and Labour with four new lines under construction and for a high speed UK, and starts to take city leaders across the country, which I was up to six more planned. China’s network will the practical steps that will make this The need for sustainable additional proud to help launch earlier this month. be larger than the rest of the world’s put vision a reality. That’s why in January the transport capacity between Britain’s Most major cities stand to gain from together soon after the completion of the Government took the decision to establish principal conurbations; the potential high-speed rail, whether or not they are 800 mile Beijing to Shanghai line in 2012. the High Speed Two company, and to ask it to substitute lower carbon and more located directly on the next high-speed to recommend to us a north-south high- convenient trains for planes and cars; line. As in France, it is our intention that Then there is Japan, Germany, Italy, speed rail plan by the end of the year. the potential for getting far more freight high-speed trains should run off the high- Spain, Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, Belgium, off the roads and onto rail; the social speed line to destinations beyond, giving the Netherlands – the list goes on of Labour need not be defensive about its and economic benefits of high-capacity substantial travel time savings and transport countries now far beyond us in the relative record since 1997. We inherited the train and high-speed links between the north benefits to most of Britain’s cities from a scale of their high-speed rail networks. In wreck of privatisation, which took some and the south in England, and between London to Scotland backbone line. I am Europe alone, 3,500 miles of high-speed years and many billions to put right. Over England and Scotland – all these will be convinced that this new ‘Union Railway’ line are in operation, a further 2,000 are the past decade the railways of Britain have key factors in our decision on HS2 early will bring our country closer together – under construction and 5,300 planned. grown faster than in any other European in 2010 when I will set out our plans. physically, economically and culturally. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 PAGE 6 THE UNION RAILWAY - ANDREW ADONIS PAGE 7 THE UNION RAILWAY - ANDREW ADONIS PAGE 8 THE UNION RAILWAY - ANDREW ADONIS PAGE 9 THE UNION RAILWAY - ANDREW ADONIS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 High-speed rail enables countries to escape Birmingham, but also on route proposals from the constraints which geography and for the line to continue to Scotland. technology imposed on the first generation of rail infrastructure, and it is essential that its It is also important that a new high speed full potential is exploited in this regard. We line interconnects from the outset with still think of the Channel Tunnel as a wholly the existing rail network, offering shorter exceptional engineering feat which one journey times and better connections wouldn’t think of repeating. Yet most other to cities and towns off the high speed major European countries are undertaking network. I have therefore asked HS2 – wait for it, a London-Paris high-speed broad vision of the often unquantifiable equivalents of the Channel Tunnel to to ensure full interoperability of the train service to compete with Eurostar. economic, social and environmental benefits overcome historic transport impediments as high speed line so that, for example, which can come from high-speed rail. But part of their high-speed networks. There is much faster journey times from London Once the Brussels-Amsterdam high-speed High Speed One took twenty years to plan no reason, to be imprisoned in our thinking to Scotland are possible from the line is open, direct London to Amsterdam and build. By comparison, the 22 years after of future rail corridors by the fact, for completion of the first phase of the services might be possible; and a high- the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester example, that the Victorians built the west line, by high speed trains running on speed line all the way to Scotland could Railway in 1830 saw the construction of coast and east coast main lines and didn’t the new and old network combined. have a significant impact on the 64 per all the main inter-city lines in England. go across the Pennines, which separate the cent of London to Glasgow and Edinburgh two largest conurbations in the country after Around the world technology is developing traffic which currently goes by air. The history of Britain and rail over the past Greater London and the West Midlands. as fast as the networks. Within five years hundred or so years is one of grandeur and a running speed of 400km/hr could be The rule of thumb is that a below three decline. The British literally built the first High Speed Two has taken as its starting both practical and efficient on high-speed hour journey time is the tipping point French railways, including exported navvies.
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