HS2: “Rushed” plans will drive high speed rail link through heart of rural England, say Tory MPs

Daily Telegraph (UK) ^ | 3:09PM GMT 28 Jan 2013 | Peter Dominiczak

[Olog-hai]

The Department for Transport has unveiled its plans for the northern section of the controversial HS2 railway, but has faced anger from Tories representing constituencies along the route who say it will destroy large swathes of the countryside and “blight” lives.

The 225-mph trains will link London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds by 2033.

It emerged that plans to connect the £32-billion ($50 billion) train line directly to Heathrow have been put on hold until the Davies Commission on airport capacity has reported. …

[Olog-hai]

Only $262 million per mile for this line. Makes California HSR look somewhat cheap, does it not?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Choo-choo trains are allowed to do as much environmental damage as they please. As a matter of fact, it is encouraged.

[BfloGuy]

The route will also pass through part of the Tatton constituency of George Osborne, the Chancellor, who today insisted the project will be an “engine for growth” in the north of the country.

Economic sophistry. The train will just make it easier for rural residents to work in London further hollowing out the countryside's economy.

British conservatives are just like New York Republicans -- present company excepted, of course.

[Winniesboy]

The train will just make it easier for rural residents to work in London

Not exactly, in this case, since there will be no stops in rural areas, only in the major cities. This is emphatically not a commuter service.

That said, the evidence from Europe suggests that this will do little to rectify the ever-increasing London & South East-centred imbalance in the British economy. The money would be far better spent on improving the existing transport infrastructure between the regions (such as North West/North East), and to neglected regions such as the South-West, which have missed out on most recent rail and road investment.