The idea
High Speed 2 fixes a problem that will have gone by the time it is complete. It is driven by the forecast growth in rail traffic extrapolated from today’s rail usage.
The forecasts ignore the increased use of business meetings via video conferencing – this market is growing by 15% per annum during a recession. Business leaders buy high fare tickets and travel in the rush hour. The use of video will hit HS2 high revenue custom as well as reduce congestion directlt affecting the HS2 business case. IDC indicate that many companies are raiding their travel budgets (ie less travel) to pay for video system installations in order to reduce costs. Why is the government keen to invest in 1960's Japanese imported railway technology when we should be moving to a knowledge economy. The extension of optical fibre and video across the country will benefit a wider set of people than HS2 and the technology used become part of University programs.
HS2 will increase long haul traffic at Heathrow (source Bowgroup) as more people can reach Heathrow more rapidly to use for long haul flights. Long haul planes are noisier than short haul planes.
Euston is the wrong terminus! Euston and the other Victorian feats of engineering were built when the centre of London was near Westminster (actually Green Park). However, the commercial district of London has moved East (London 2012, Docklands, Thames Gateway) making Stratford, Liverpool Street and Waterloo the closest major termini to the London CBD. This has been revealed by the failure of HS1 which terminates at St. Pancras. Commuters arriving in this part of London find few commercial opportunities and join the slow and over crowded Underground in order to go South and East
The Network Rail business case for HS2 shows a payback of 60 years! The government must have better uses for taxpayers money.
Why is it important?
It will save tax payers money which can be used to help fund the knowledge economy instead of fuelling more travel.