News Media
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Derby Telegraph, 15 May 2012
Derby Telegraph, 15 May 2012. "Why this high-speed rail line should be stopped in its tracks... Derby will be linked by HS2 to Birmingham, a mere 53km away, and to Manchester, 86km away... These short distances kill the economics of high-speed rail which, broadly speaking, are determined by a simple formula: the number of people carried by distance travelled. So linking Derby, which is already in close proximity to other main population centres, is not viable for a high-speed rail system... Derby won't be linked directly to London, meaning we will still have to travel via Birmingham so, at best, HS2 may succeed in shaving a few minutes off these times. But is this really worth £32.7billion?" By Victoria Martindale
Victoria Martindale: Why this high-speed rail line should be stopped in its tracks
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Beleben, 31 March 2012
Beleben, 31 March 2012. "HS2 and Birmingham blight... The threat posed to the Meriden Gap by HS2 was made clear in Professor Andrew McNaughton’s speech at Irail 2012. On 24 March, the Daily Telegraph reported 'Up to 100,000 homes would be built on green belt in the Midlands near the controversial High Speed 2 rail route as part of a dramatic expansion of housing. The plan, disclosed by Andrew McNaughton, the chief engineer of HS2, would exploit the new and highly controversial National Planning Policy Framework, which aims to simplify Britain’s planning laws, increase economic growth and provide homes for Britain’s booming population. If it goes ahead, the development would effectively obliterate the open countryside east of Birmingham to create Britain’s longest continuous conurbation, stretching 40 miles [65 km] from Coventry to the far side of Wolverhampton.'"
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Beleben, 14 May 2012
Beleben, 14 May 2012. "Marshall moonshine... [Railnews writer] Mr Marshall claimed that the ‘AGV’s ‘green credentials’ were disclosed in an analysis in an April 2009 ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies) report by Richard Davies and Leigh Thompson. 'ATOC undertook the analysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) impacts of High Speed Rail for Greengauge 21, the not-for-profit organisation established in 2006 to research and develop the concept of a High Speed Rail network.'.. What useful conclusions can be drawn from the ATOC ‘research’? The answer seems to be: none whatsoever."
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Independent, 13 May 2012
Independent, 13 May 2012. "Editor-At-Large: ... Here's an idea: Trains that work... You can tart up a station, issue young staff T-shirts with "Customer Services" written on them, but if you can't provide trains and connections that work, then you might as well be running a Hornby Dublo train set. In the Queen's Speech, there was no mention of the proposed high-speed rail link to Birmingham. Maybe it would be a good idea to get the existing system operating efficiently first." By Janet Street-Porter
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Telegraph, 12 May 2012
Telegraph, 12 May 2012. "Red alert over HS2 rail link... Legislation to enable the building of the route was not included in last week’s Queen’s Speech, and there is significant unrest about the plan among backbench Conservative MPs. It has now emerged that a compulsory assessment of the scheme has concluded that, on a “traffic light” rating system, HS2 has a “red-amber” risk of going wrong. The rating is used only when “the successful delivery of the project is in doubt, with major risks or issues apparent in a number of key areas. Urgent action is needed to ensure these are addressed, and whether resolution is feasible.” By Robert Watts
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Telegraph, 12 May 2012
Telegraph, 12 May 2012. "How to protect ancient woodland from HS2 - just move it. The bizarre idea is one of a number of “mitigation solutions” suggested by Justine Greening, the minister in charge of the proposed rail line... However, Jonathan Spencer, a principal adviser for the Forestry Commission, said the concept of transplanting woodland was “simply not credible”. “It is not possible to recreate the soil and its unique combination of nutrients that have developed over hundreds of years,” he wrote. “A significant number of the trees would probably die in such a process. Trees are not as robust as people seem to think. It would also be very costly — a waste of money, in my view. This is futile.” By Robert Watts
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Express and Star, 10 May 2012
Express and Star, 10 May 2012. "Critics today branded the roles, which include a chief spin doctor, unnecessary and said the government should be using its own Department for Transport staff. HS2 Ltd is recruiting a head of public affairs, a head of land and property, a chief information officer and a general counsel and company secretary, all on £97,398 plus benefits."
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Birmingham Post, 10 May 2012
Birmingham Post, 10 May 2012. "HS2 'will still go ahead' despite Queen's Speech omission, insists DfT... The Tory grassroots website Conservative Home published an “alternative Queen’s Speech”, compiled in consultation with Conservative backbenchers, which included plans to stop “throwing billions at a high-speed vanity project” and scrap the scheme. And campaigners opposed to the scheme have highlighted questions raised by the Commons public accounts committee, which subjected senior Department for Transport officials to a grilling about the business case for HS2." by Jonathan Walker
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Cable, 10 May 2012
Cable, 10 May 2012. "Hyperoptic says high-speed rail funding would boost broadband... Speaking to the Guardian, former Be Broadband chief Mr Ivanovic claimed the rail funding would be sufficient to deliver fibre optic broadband to every single person in the UK. "If we had those links, we wouldn't need to travel as often to Birmingham and we wouldn't be polluting the environment by travelling," he remarked." by Paul France
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Camden New Journal, 10 May 2012
Camden New Journal, 10 May 2012. "HS2 tax proposal revealed in Transport Minister's leaked letter is branded 'an insult to Camden'. TAXPAYERS and local businesses in Camden could be hit by a special levy charge to help pay for a high-speed rail development for Euston, according to ministerial correspondence seen by the New Journal... New council leader Sarah Hayward said Mr Baker’s letter appeared to be “an extraordinary renege on promises” made to her in a meeting with the Transport Secretary Justine Greening – and an “insult to Camden”. Cllr Hayward added: “We don’t see how Camden benefits from HS2 – it will be a major loser." by TOM FOOT