Chiltern Society 'astonished' over HS2 go-ahead

Jan 11 2012

The Chiltern Society has reacted with dismay to the government's decision to proceed with the high speed rail project across the Chilterns.

Alison Doggett, Chairman of the Society, said: "The determination of the Government to push through its proposals for HS2, despite cautions and criticisms from inside and outside its ranks, is astonishing.

"The Chiltern Society is not against the principle of high speed rail. As an amenity group dedicated to caring for a precious landscape, long–term planning for a more sustainable future is a no-brainer. But we are, in all senses, standing in the way and our fundamental concerns about protecting the Chilterns cannot be mitigated with a bit more tunnel.

"HS2 is just one part of a big national picture which has a lot of pieces missing, and the proposal laid before us does not give us the confidence to accept, deep down, that the sacrifices that we are being asked to make are truly in the national interest."

She said the Government has failed to address three basic questions:

1. Is it in the right place?

Good transport systems in other countries are properly integrated and part of a long-term strategic plan covering all modes. Agreement is being sought for this, the largest ever UK infrastructure project, without any such plan or even a future aviation strategy. What is more, this controversial line still has not been properly tested against alternative approaches and other more logical routes such as an M1 alignment.

2. Is it the right kind of line?

The HS2 proposal centres around an obsession with speed to the extent that it has ambitions to become the fastest line in the world, with the capability of running trains at 400kph. Pundits are not sure that in such a little country we need to be quite so aggressive in our ambitions, since time-savings only really mount up over long distances. Very fast is also very inflexible and tracks have to be rigidly straight, hacking through the contours of our undulating landscape. The technical specifications are as yet untried and untested. Likewise, the signalling and safety constraints of running twice as many trains as any other system yet operating in the world, questions the efficacy of the decision-making when our existing ‘track record’ is considerably less than perfect.

3. Is it for the right reasons?

The Government, even in these times of austerity, is asking the paying public to take a great leap of faith and place prestige ahead of practicality. Recent ‘artist’s impressions’ show double-decker trains with restaurants and glass ceilings. Such elitism was last part of the deal on the Metropolitan Line from 1910 when special Pullman carriages were added with armchairs and a bar, and weary gentle folk could pay an extra sixpence to refresh themselves with a ‘gin and splash’. If the Government is to be believed, this line will help solve the capacity problem, promote economic growth and close the gap known as the North-South divide. However, the lack of transparency in the passenger forecasting and the scepticism of many knowledgeable commentators means this smacks of ‘the triumph of hope over adversity’!

Mrs Doggett added: "The real mystery is why the Coalition Government is so wedded to this plan? There must be something the rest of us don't know because, as it stands, the plan is so full of holes that it is a risk assessors’ nightmare."