HS2 is clearly no way to run a railway

RECENT correspondents have suggested that funds allocated to HS2 could be better spent on the local rail network.

In fact the considerable investment planned for HS2 could, if managed effectively, deliver us two railways for the price of one, the rail equivalent of “buy one get one free”.

Hence rather than building the New Lane station HS2 trains could run to either the present Leeds City Station or into a new station at Marsh Lane with local trains on the Airedale/Wharfedale lines linked to the York and Selby lines by a cross-city tunnel with underground stations at Westgate, City Square and Eastgate.

It should be possible to build three basic low cost stations for six car trains at reasonable cost and if a bridge were used at the western end then there would be no need to tunnel under the Aire.

If a chord were also constructed to allow cross country trains originating in the North to use the HS2 approach to Leeds, then the present rail lines in east Leeds could see Metro-style frequency between Leeds and Garforth and also the line reopened towards Wetherby as far as Scholes in the first instance.

In this way we gain the extra capacity from HS2 as well as a metro system for our region.

From: Bob Crowther, Crigglestone, Wakefield.

FURTHER to the increasing amount of controversy regarding the building of the HS2, it is my firm belief that when the Government of all parties, the City financiers and the chiefs of industry state and insist that the scheme will benefit all and sundry.

All I have to say is, beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

From: Nigel F Boddy, Fife Road, Darlington, County Durham.

we cannot all live and work in London. The wealth and commerce attracted to our capital needs to be spread around somehow.

Governments have spent money on big projects and small ones for 60 years to achieve that. However the coalition are cutting public spending and shedding jobs. They tell us we cannot afford high public spending. Why then this policy to build HS2?

The PM wants Labour to give a blank cheque to the builder of HS2. Do your readers remember the Scottish Parliament fiasco when the building cost nine times the original estimate?

We can increase capacity on the railways with longer trains now. Let us extend the length of some of our station platforms if we have to increase capacity.

That is the quickest easiest simplest solution which increases capacity. However we spend £40bn on railways, please let us buy fixed price tag items. We know they will not escalate in cost.

I am all for Hitachi building trains in Newton Aycliffe. We need new trains for the entire network.

Spend £40bn on that and bringing the existing lines up to standard. If we need more lines from London to Birmingham can’t we just relay one of the tracks Beeching ripped up instead of building something entirely new like HS2?

From: John Vessey, Kettlewell, North Yorkshire.

ISN’T it time the looming fiasco of HS2 should be forced off the rails? All types of whackos are being wheeled out almost daily to persuade us of the benefits of the project. But we have heard it all before.

Somewhere (probably down South) was a senior politician who, in a debate on North Sea oil and gas some 40 years ago, said that the investment would be a wonderful thing for Britain. For when Britain becomes a major oil and gas producer he said: “We’ll be giving it away.”

As we know all too painfully, that statement wasn’t even a little bit true. HS2 equals déja vu.

There is a far better way to spend £50-80bn. Increase the state pension from the truly disgraceful £7,500 currently in place to something more comparable to the £25,000 paid annually in Spain, Germany and Sweden. Good grief, even the Brazilians pay their pensioners £15,000 a year.

Pound for pound it is a no-brainer. If HS2 goes ahead, it will overrun, over cost and deliver far fewer benefits than promised. It will consist of a vast amount of dead money spent on rails, sleepers, embankments, bridges, sidings, rolling stock, compensation and stations.

However, if pensions were to be given a much deserved boost, the health, welfare, and wellbeing of our ageing population would be much improved and moreover, the clever bit is, the cash will still be in circulation, benefitting the whole nation.

From: DA Kemp, Barnsley.

IF HS2 is to go ahead, then under no circumstances can the Civil Service (or any adjunct thereof) have anything to do with preparation of the contracts with the private sector.

Such contracts should be prepared by a law firm experienced in handling commercial contracts working with one or more businessmen from the private sector well used to negotiating prices and terms thus avoiding the taxpayer being taken for a ride.

I would suggest some businessmen from the North either active or retired. If anyone can obtain value for money then a hard-headed northerner is the man for the job.

From: J Taylor, Steep Lane, Sowerby, North Yorkshire.

IF the country was awash with money, HS2 would be a wonderful thing to do, just because we can.

London to Birmingham does seem rather a short distance for sustained high speed running. By the time passengers/customers have journeyed to and allowed time for their connection and checking in at a HS2 station, any time saving will be long gone.

For the eye-watering amount of money being spent, a lot more people would have a lot more everyday benefits if it was spent across the nation.

And to finish off, it makes the Leeds tram reinstatement look value for money.