Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has said that the Government’s high speed rail network, HS2, will only benefit London. “We are totally opposed to HS2. It is simply going to concentrate resources, money and people even more on London which is actually the opposite of what we need to do. Most of the journeys on it will be journeys into London. It is not going to benefit the North and the Midlands,” stated Ms Bennett.

My opinion

The big reason for improving our railway network – not to mention the time it will save commuters each & every day – is that it will take people off our road network. New improvements means that even if existing drivers choose to stick with their cars, there’s bound to be newly qualified drivers who will choose to travel by train because of a quicker and more reliable service. Its these younger drivers who are also more likely to listen to the environmental argument, as they are the ones who in the future are most likely to see the effects of negative global change unless people don’t change their ‘un-environmentaly friendly’ behaviour. Obviously some people need their cars to get around, but many others don’t.

HS2 will negatively affect people living along its route – I get that and am sympathetic to people affected by it. BUT, the following facts also need to be considered:

– without the money that comes with HS2, we’re not going to get the investment also pledged to improve the whole train network
– HS2 will take the high speed trains currently clogging up main lines and put them on a separate network. This will lead to improved journey times for most routes.
– The hub for HS2 will be based in Birmingham, which means more jobs for the local economy
– there’s bound to be an increase in the numbers of London visitors deciding to visit the central and north of the country because it will be so much quicker for them to get there. Yes the same routes will also take people into London, but saying it won’t benefit the north and the midlands is just daft!

So the way I see it, HS2 is bad for people living along its route, but good for commuters, good for the midlands and the north, good for the economy and ultimately good for the environment.
Question – is the Green Party leader actually thinking about the economy, the regions or the environment in her policy on HS2, or is she just jumping on a popular bandwagon set in motion by a lot of nimbys – no offence!