Labour figures have been reportedly secretly considering an alternative route to HS2 for a new north-south link. The route itself is no secret, re-opening the Great Central line, Britain’s last main line and scandalously closed by Beeching despite being the most profitable in the country and capable of taking modern container sizes. […]
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a Thatcherite think tank, has strongly criticised the government’s plans for HS2, the proposed high-speed rail link between London and the north of Britain. The trouble with the IEA’s paper is that it criticises how HS2 is being procured but does not make a positive case for reform. […]
Edmund Burke, the eighteenth century philosopher and parliamentarian, once famously said that no man should be a judge in his own cause. It is remarkable that words written before the railways or the first steam engine were built, should be relevant to the problems of our transport today. However, being a judge in his own cause is exactly the unfortunate position that the Secretary of State for transport finds himself in. The Department for Transport is both the promoter of new rail schemes, such [...]
The Telegraph reports: Property prices within a 10-minute walk of central London Crossrail stations have risen by more than 30% since the project was announced in 2008. The growth in values was 8% greater than wider improvements for central London, according to a study by estate agent Knight Frank. […]
Yesterday, the high speed link to the north (HS2) and Crossrail projects were confirmed by the Chancellor. We hope to hear next week from the Secretary of State on the fate of Airtrack. A reader, however, as emailed to ask how the Windsor Link would connect to HS2 and what would be the best option for local people. This is in the context of the Secretary of State asking for a better way of connecting to Heathrow than the plans announced by the previous government. Although it should [...]
