HS2 Bill given second reading
A new North-South rail line is a vital part of our long-term economic plan for Britain.
Without HS2 our railways will be full by the mid-2020s – we need to build this extra capacity now. And it is important to make sure the new North-South railway uses the latest technology that Britain's competitors use - high speed.
The jobs of the future depend on infrastructure fit for the future.
A new North-South railway will be a foundation stone upon which businesses across the country can grow, compete and create jobs – and provide greater financial security for families. Parliament’s clear commitment last night is another important step in making this vision a reality.
On the rebel amendment which was defeated:
Of course there are concerns for some who live very close to the HS2 route. There are others who are worried about the cost of the scheme, and others who are worried about whether this is the right scheme to do enough to help the North.
We will never get everything perfectly right, but it is essential to get better and more modern North-South links if the whole nation is to share in Britain's prosperity.
By co-incidence, the second reading of the HS2 bill took place on the day I was attending a training course in London, having travelled down by train the previous evening. My train south had been 75 minutes late due to a broken rail near Motherwell, as were most trains south from Glasgow and North West England that evening. Scores of people were left waiting at stations for more than an hour and arrived at out destinations at unsocial hours.
My train home yesterday was also delayed, this time by half an hour. So journeys which should have given a total travel time door to door of about 12 hours were extended by around two hours and I arrived after 11pm on both nights.
So I don't have too much difficulty seeing the case for a modernised, faster, and more reliable train network!
By working together it should be possible to ensure this vital new north-south railway is designed in the right way to minimise environmental problems. I welcome the commitment to have spades in the ground by 2017 (that date again!) as planned.
Without HS2 our railways will be full by the mid-2020s – we need to build this extra capacity now. And it is important to make sure the new North-South railway uses the latest technology that Britain's competitors use - high speed.
The jobs of the future depend on infrastructure fit for the future.
A new North-South railway will be a foundation stone upon which businesses across the country can grow, compete and create jobs – and provide greater financial security for families. Parliament’s clear commitment last night is another important step in making this vision a reality.
On the rebel amendment which was defeated:
Of course there are concerns for some who live very close to the HS2 route. There are others who are worried about the cost of the scheme, and others who are worried about whether this is the right scheme to do enough to help the North.
We will never get everything perfectly right, but it is essential to get better and more modern North-South links if the whole nation is to share in Britain's prosperity.
By co-incidence, the second reading of the HS2 bill took place on the day I was attending a training course in London, having travelled down by train the previous evening. My train south had been 75 minutes late due to a broken rail near Motherwell, as were most trains south from Glasgow and North West England that evening. Scores of people were left waiting at stations for more than an hour and arrived at out destinations at unsocial hours.
My train home yesterday was also delayed, this time by half an hour. So journeys which should have given a total travel time door to door of about 12 hours were extended by around two hours and I arrived after 11pm on both nights.
So I don't have too much difficulty seeing the case for a modernised, faster, and more reliable train network!
By working together it should be possible to ensure this vital new north-south railway is designed in the right way to minimise environmental problems. I welcome the commitment to have spades in the ground by 2017 (that date again!) as planned.
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