HS2

A number of years ago I wrote this piece on my thoughts about HS2.

*Since then I have spoken with academics and researchers who work on transport infrastructure, including one person who is a key government advisor on large infrastructure projects (he patiently listened to my thoughts, agreed and then expanded on them in many ways which went over my head!). Their insights all align with my opinion that the HS2 project is so flawed as to be a bad idea.

HS2 is at the top of our news headlines again - possibly because the government don't want people to remember about the Russia report, Jennifer Arcuri etc or notice the fact that they've already reneged on multiple election promises and their press/media have exhausted the Harry and Meghan thing for the time being.

Upgrading our transport network is long overdue: in it's current state it is embarrassing and barely fit-for-purpose. But I don't think HS2 is the way to go about it.

I live less than 8 miles from Manchester City Centre and I commute into Manchester for work. I'm in my 40s and out of all of my friends and acquaintances in Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire and other parts of the UK including the South East, I don't know anyone who commutes between London and Manchester/"the north" (wherever that is). Some occasionally travel to London/South East for meetings but not enough to warrant this kind of money being spent on infrastructure. I can count on one finger the number of people I know who regularly commute between Manchester and other northern cities: the overwhelming majority of people commute from their homes in  suburbs/villages/towns to large towns and cities for work. Average distance travelled by rail in England is 30 miles (17 miles in London) so I'm not inclined to believe that inter-city travel, which is pretty well-served is the priority.

So what is the purpose of HS2? HS2: Whose Line is it Anyway? features a few people who know a lot about it giving a few reasons.

But even if we ignore the idea (fact, in my view) that it started and has been continued to suit certain politicians at particular points in their career, the environmental issues, the mixed messages (which alone suggest that those responsible don't have solid reasons for doing it), is it sensible to spend this much money on one project at a time when the "network" we already have is failing thousands of commuters every day? HS2 is going to cost far more than the entire 2019 Labour manifesto which apparently was going to bankrupt the UK - and that included re-nationalising the fragmented and failing privatised rail network. Let's assume for a minute that HS2 is necessary from a speed or capacity point of view. Tickets on HS2 will be at least as expensive and probably considerably more expensive than current tickets to/from London. Is that really going to persuade people who don't already get the train to do so?

We desperately need to get people out of their cars and onto bikes and public transport. This is only going to happen if we spend large sums of money not on one route to/from London but on improving local and regional rail, bus and cycle provision. Then and only then can we consider a fancy new line in the middle of the country. Many people claim that this infrastructure will speed up local rail as well by shifting capacity onto a new line but the evidence for this seems totally flawed to me and one person I have spoken to who definitely knows what they are talking about* has explained how we can massively increase capacity if we implement the European system of train scheduling on our current network.

The bigger question for me is why are so many people commuting into densely developed areas in the first place? I've written about this in the past and won't repeat it here but with modern technology, we don't all need to be in cities and the benefits of spreading at least some work out of the cities are manifold.

I want to reiterate my view that the UK desperately needs huge investment in transport infrastructure and it is not the cost of HS2 that concerns me (I'm a socialist and believe in higher taxes and investment in projects that will benefit people and our environment!). What concerns me is that this is a folly which will only serve to increase the number of people commuting to/from London and that the vast majority of people will see absolutely no benefit.