Sir David Higgins, the man tasked with the delivery of High Speed 2,
released his first report into the vital yet sadly controversial project this
week. (HS2 plus, DofT, 2014)
While much of the associated headlines have lauded his proposals to extend Phase 1
up to Crewe as offering proof of the government’s commitment to the North (HS2
benefits to north could be delivered six years earlier, says Sir David Higgins,
Guardian 17th March), the largely ignored decision to scrap the proposed
link between the new line and the existing High speed 1, immediately endorsed
by the Transport secretary Patrick McLaughlin is of far greater consequence and
illustrative of an increasing London centric government (and media’s)
ambivalence towards anything outside of the M25.
Why is this connection so Important?
A link between High speed 2 and High speed 1 between Euston and St
Pancras Stations would have provided the potential to run direct trains from
the Northern Cities to Mainland Europe directly connecting these cities into a
huge market. To scrap the link ensures that all trains from Mainland Europe
will go direct into London, re-enforcing the capitals dominance over the
regions and effectively relegating High Speed 2 into a branch line.
So why is it on the lIne?
Camden council have been at war with the Government over the link since
the proposals were first announced The route itself as is shown in the maps
below will have involved widening the existing railway link between the two
stations, Camden council believe the process of construction would have
resulted in ‘a decade of disruption’, destroying the famous tat market
and making the area unattractive to tourists. A single look at plans a
(alongside a Google earth image for comparison) illustrates much of the new
track will be on the existing and vacant viaduct and where it isn’t will
involve a very slight widening of the existing viaduct.
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Illustrating a section of the proposed route
through Camden
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It has also been argued by the likes of Sir David and the
Transport Secretary that there is little demand for direct services between the
likes of Manchester and Paris to justify the cost of the link, yet without the
link in place it is difficult to assess the demand. It has to be remembered
that Manchester and Leeds will not be connected to the network until 2030 at
the earliest so we are talking many years into the future. To write of these
cities now shows a worrying lack of foresight especially as London overheats.
How much will this Link have cost?
The link would have cost an estimated £700 million, from an overall
budget of, £42.6b a paltry saving especially when
one considers the potential economic boost such a link would have provided to
the North of England.
How much will it cost to rebuild Euston Station?
Sir David also recommended that Euston Station be redeveloped at a
staggering cost of £1.2 billion, something also immediately endorsed by the
Transport Secretary who said
‘It is a significant opportunity to maximise the economic potential of
the line and regenerate a site that has been neglected. It is also a
significant opportunity to generate private sector investment that can reduce
the overall burden on the taxpayer’
If he feels the area around Euston is in urgent need of
regeneration he quite obviously has never left zones 1 and 2.
The ironic and sad fact of this is that the £700 million invested into
the link will have had a much greater long term economic return than the £1.2
billion to spruce up Euston Station, while based upon evidence elsewhere in
both the UK and on Mainland Europe the presence of the High speed rail station
in itself will have attracted substantial private investment into the area
anyway.
So what can we conclude from all this?
Camden already has High Speed 1 on its doorstep, this enables it to
attract new investment and substantial numbers of tourists as well as enabling
its well healed and connected residents (of which includes Stanley; Dad of
Boris and prominent anti High Speed 2 campaigner who recently was quoted as
saying all it will do is enable Young female jihadists to get down from
Birmingham 20 minutes quicker) to get a train to Paris or Brussels quickly
and efficiently.
That the Transport Secretary is prepared to let the economic future of
Camden Flea Market trump the likes of Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham and in
turn effectively isolate the rest of the country from other European cities for
the benefit of a few well influenced North London luvvies says all that needs
to be said about the stranglehold London has upon the rest of the
country.
