Welcome to my blog! First up, a health warning: this blog is going to mention High Speed Two. A lot. It really is just an extension and accompaniment to my tweets, as I don't want to write War and Peace on the subject, and I am very well aware there are lots of other rail projects in the world to devote attention to (but that's my day job).
I'm a Mancunian living in the London area, and I am passionate about HS2 having been a West Coast rail user for more than two decades, or -- to put it another way -- since infant school (and yes, that does mean I can't remember that much of good old BR *shock*). Our great northern cities deserve world-class infrastructure, and HS2 is one part of that vision. Contrary to popular opinion, we have looked at the alternatives, and we even tried a few of them -- the West Coast Route Modernisation saga being a case in point. In my view, these policies were a failure, and cannot and should not be repeated.
There is more than 12 000 route-km of dedicated high speed railway operating successfully around the world, and no reason at all why Britain should add to its existing 109 km. Hopefully this blog will allow me to throw out a few relevant international examples, as seen from the perspective of a specialist rail journalist.
As they used to say about the Hacienda, HS2 must be built. I invite you to read on...
No comments:
Post a Comment