Committee report says good case exists for high-speed rail

Launching high-speed rail — the report of the inquiry into high-speed rail, including the government’s proposal for HS2 — committee chair Louise Ellman said: ‘A high-speed rail network, beginning with a line between London and the West Midlands, would provide a step change in the capacity, quality, reliability and frequency of rail services between our major cities.’

A second phase would see onward legs to Manchester and Leeds (the Y network) with connections to points further north via the existing East and West Coast main lines.

‘A high-speed line offers potential economic and strategic benefits which a conventional line does not, including a dramatic improvement in connectivity between our major cities, Heathrow and other airports, and the rest of Europe,’ she said.

She went on to claim that high-speed rail may be a catalyst for economic growth, stating it could help to ‘rebalance the economy and bridge the north-south divide’.

‘But the government must do more to promote local and regional growth strategies to ensure we get maximum economic benefit from high-speed rail,’ she said.