High Speed 2 is a planned high-speed railway between London Euston to central Scotland. The project is being developed by High Speed Two Ltd, a company limited by guarantee established by the UK government. Four major city centres shall be served directly: London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. From November 2021 to June 2022 substantial parts of HS2 were dropped. As part of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands it was announced that most of the eastern leg of phase 2b from Birmingham via the East Midlands to Leeds/York would be dropped. Supporters of the project believe that the additional capacity and reliability provided by HS2 will cater for pre-COVID rising passenger numbers while driving further modal shift to rail. Opponents believe that the project is neither environmentally nor financially sustainable.
Narrow down the conversation to these participants:
It’s fantastic that the government wants to connect the country through the railways, however the amount of money which goes into projects like this ( which are still unfinished ) could be going toward more current and valuable issues such as housing and education.
@96WXK5K2yrs2Y
Yes, but all Major UK cities could also have a high speed railway between each other
@9462HWY3yrs3Y
Yes but also to Scotland and Wales.
@9P8VKW89mos9MO
No it was a complete waste of money up grade carlisle and west costs and make carlisle an international Airport
@9P8YLXC9mos9MO
Yes but it should be raised above ground like China this gives much more versatility and less objections
@9P7FQK79mos9MO
No because this project was incredibly poorly managed and other inter city routes need improving more than we need another route in/out of London.
@9P52LB89mos9MO
If it can be done in a timely non destructive manner yes if it means tearing people out of their homes no
@9P29HB49mos9MO
Yes, but only as part of a nationalised railway network as Government / Private sector have mismanaged the project so far.
@9P26XG59mos9MO
Yes but change building regulations, except those that have to do with the environment and heritage, to make it cheaper to build
@9NYTYQ8 9mos9MO
Yes, but not before we’ve put the money towards more important things such as education, the NHS, mental health services and housing!
@9NWZQ3C9mos9MO
Yes, but by renovating and improving current railways and using high-speed trains which can use the existing network, like the shelved plan from the 1980s and 90s.
@9NXZHTS9mos9MO
We should be looking at ways to improve our existing infrastructure as well as ways to improve & support HS travel. I disagree with all the destruction that HS has done along with ruining some of our precious countryside.
@9NXHSGB9mos9MO
Yes, but it should start south of London, then link up/integrate all major cities and their airports e.g Portsmouth, Gatwick, Heathrow, Paddington, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, Manchester Airport, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow & airport.
No, a separate freight transport rail network would be cheaper and would allow improvements to existing passenger services
This is a good idea but should have more ambitious technology such as the bullet trains in Japan not this outdated tech
@9NRRV9J10mos10MO
Yes, but extend it to Scotland as well as improve existing networks to be as fast and efficient as HS2
@9NJVBP210mos10MO
I think that the builders and operators of the HS2 construction services should be prosecuted for fraud.
@9NJ33T3Conservative10mos10MO
Yes, we should be investing heavily in railway infrastructure. It should extend to all major cities.
Yes, but it has not saved any meaningful time to Brum but should continue further north to be useful
Yes, it should extend to be the main rail routes across the country, and improve current infrastructure to support interconnectivity
Yes, extend it to Scotland and reuse the existing rail networks for transportation of goods (taking HGV’s off the road network)
It should have been a benefit but lack of planning has cost far too much and destroyed too many natural areas of beauty
No, and we should recoup the funds embezzled in this white elephant scheme from Conservative party members.
@9NCDRJQ10mos10MO
Yes, but east to west transport country wide is lacking, forcing everyone to the same points such as London only increases problems
@9NC2TTF10mos10MO
Yes, and it should connect London to other major cities (Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff) as well
@9NB4LG610mos10MO
Yes, but limiting it to Birmingham is pointless and the focus should instead be on connections through Manchester and Glasgow, with a greater emphasis on returning inadequate private rail operators such as Avanti to public ownership and building capacity across national networks to improve the service's viability and contain fares.
@9N8FPSS10mos10MO
Yes, but extend it to Scotland. However, I would like to prioritise the existing rail networks first
@9N5ZVJ610mos10MO
Yes and also the northern link as originally promised otherwise it has been a complete waste of money.
@9N3KP4S10mos10MO
Yes, but not as it was originally being executed prior to cancellation, and either extend it to Cymru (Wales) or return the money taken from Cymru to pay for the railway
@9MPTFXLPlaid Cymru10mos10MO
No, and return the money spent to Scotland and Wales as it doesn't benifit either country despite the money taken from them for the England only project
@9MP3MSJ10mos10MO
I do however I don’t support the excessive cost. The government should ensure costs are kept within budget
@9MNKCDG10mos10MO
Yes but it was done in a very poor way. Should’ve been built along the m40 but this idea was rejected because it would add 4 minutes to the goal journey time
@9MCZYMY11mos11MO
Only if there is enough money within the budget and it doesn't compromise the quality of our current railways
@9M6G4D2Count Binface11mos11MO
No, it serves only to turn the West Midlands into dormitory towns for London for the benefit of landlords and businesses rather than addressing the problems of cost of living in the capital.
@9M6452W11mos11MO
Yes, but be truthful about it’s lack of benefit to wales and give the allocate the fair share of money to wales to better connect our trains
@9M5Z3WWPlaid Cymru11mos11MO
although a good idea i don’t like the money it takes away from welsh funds while not having a large effect on wales
@9M4P23KPlaid Cymru11mos11MO
Yes but only if Wales is not forced to foot part of the bill even when it doesn't touch Welsh soil at any point.
@9M4BJ6F11mos11MO
Should have never cancelled the Northern stretch. Meant to help the North South financial gap. Now its going to get worse. All the devastation for nothing
@9M47XPZ11mos11MO
The money should focus on improving connectivity from major cities to the underserved communities across the country
@9M3TV3D11mos11MO
Using a scape goat such as this project is wrong. It is obvious there is all kinds of money laundering going on with this project.
@9M3RX9H11mos11MO
We need more rail infrastructure in the North, not necessarily London to Birmingham, but London to Manchester as originlly planned.
@9M3Q6T211mos11MO
I suppose so. But it should be built in the most sustainable way possible, to reduce more damage towards the Climate Crisis.
@9M3DCXS11mos11MO
I support the creation of high speed rail between all major cities. Focus on London and Birmingham will only lead to increased costs to the people of Birmingham.
@9M3BSJN11mos11MO
I believe that this would be incredibly sufficient to those and their time. However, I can understand the views of it not being environmentally or financially friendly. If there is a way to make it environmentally friendly, then I would definitely be 100% on board with it
@9M2J9BJ11mos11MO
No, trains should be filled with a more economical system where current trains don't leave without being at least 90% capacity booked seats. People attend most train journeys 30 minutes before their train. They could jump on the one earlier/later if there is capacity. The time saved means nothing in the long run.
@9M2HSGKLiberal Democrat11mos11MO
yes, but we should make the connection around the whole UK better, and stop ignoring Wales like these extended questions have, too. Why extend to just Scotland as an option? Why aren't we better connecting South Wales to North Wales, and North Wales to Scotland, and South Wales to other parts of England?
@9LZYHC711mos11MO
Pointless investment in something where minute population uses trains and should concentrate on improving modern current travel such as cars and ease flow
@9LXH55F11mos11MO
They should offer more lines between existing railways so that you don’t have to travel into London first to get ANYWHERE
@9LX946V11mos11MO
Only if it is reliable and strikes are not allowed, or people wouldn't use it...i never book travel by train because of this
Yes, they should have gone through with their promise, however I understand the cost of HS2 rose way to high, however I think the tories are to blame for this.
@9LTRHPH11mos11MO
We should yes and possibly extend it to Scotland and eventually linking up all the major UK cities. But it must be done via all green technology not damaging the environment. Plus eventually linking all of the UK even smaller towns, however, this can cost a lot of money so should be done over multiple of decades and should be something no one Primeminister can abolish except if it has gotten so bad they hold a referendum and the British public vote in a majority yes to stop the project.
@9LPHX5Q11mos11MO
Yes, but also ensure adequate funding for existing railways. ( AND EXTEND HS2 TO LOWER PARTS OF SCOTLAND
@9LNY5CF11mos11MO
Some parts of the proposed HS2 railway were ridiculous ie London to Leeds service is currently excellent and the proposed version only saved a few minutes
@9LL23TR11mos11MO
how about an HS2 that doesnt take four full decades, waste millions-if-not-billions in tax payer money with nothing to show for it, and stop ruining the environment when the infrastructure DOES already exist and just needs improvements... listen to the leaders of your constituencies outside of london!!!
@9LJTTHN11mos11MO
If we build those and destroy the environment for those areas, it is only fitting to remove previous existing other areas of the railway system to make space for the environment to grow again elsewhere. So my answer is yes we can build it, on the condition that railways elsewhere are removed and instead replaced with equal green areas
@9LJTGJM11mos11MO
If they can do it without wasting more money cancelling it later down the line than why not! And even more places
@9LH8FVK11mos11MO
Instead of putting money towards that could put it towards something more necessary such as housing or education or improving existing public transportation.
@9LF2SMH12mos12MO
That depends. If it's private and cost my soul I won't use it. I avoid trains as is. Also it'd be best to put them under ground to preserve the landscape and not create more noise. Or build anti noise walls like lot of countries in Europe have. They can even blend with surroundings.
@9LDRMDW12mos12MO
Yes, but the route should be changed in order to avoid vital natural habitats for the UK's ecosystem, and we should expand it to Scotland and improve existing networks all as part of a new National Transport Service free at the point of use like the NHS.
@9LCY6MJ12mos12MO
Yes, it should be built in full to Manchester and Leeds with provisions for Northern Powerhouse Rail and beyond to Scotland and the North East
@9LBR29N12mos12MO
I don’t think lowering the journey by a short amount of time that it is is worth the money it has cost
@9LBG77R12mos12MO
Yes and extend it to Scotland and give it to control by Department for Transport (DfT) not HS2 LTD. And improve existing rail network and tram. It became big money to UK and more explore city
@9LB57KS12mos12MO
No, It should be connect the capitals of England, Scotland, Wales and (understandably more difficult) Ireland. Not from London to Birmingham.
@9D3ZXBJ2yrs2Y
more rail networks is great, but we should look to upgrade the ones we have already before we build any more, and eventually look to make all environmentally friendly
@9CDCZN9Liberal Democrat2yrs2Y
Yes but build lines to Scotland, north of England and north and south wales or give wales its Barnet funding
@99HXJ362yrs2Y
yes but use past trail lines so not wasting anything
yes but only as part of program to improve public transport not just as a stand alone vanity project
@B28YX733mos3MO
HS2 mush be built in full if it is to deliver all of the capacity enhancement benefits. Euston must also be built with all 11 platforms
@B282FZQLiberal Democrat3mos3MO
Support in theory, but government should be prepared to cancel the project if costs continue to spiral
@B26LQJX3mos3MO
yes but it was mismanaged and over budget, as a result of private companies exploiting the governments deep pockets
@9ZRX6NX4mos4MO
Yes but it isn’t fair that people that won’t benefit from it at all like the Welsh have to pay for it
@9ZL58VG4mos4MO
Yes I do, especially if it benefits the efficiency of traveling between the two biggest cities, that it also provides economic /environmental benefits
@9RHSYC78mos8MO
A railway should be established between London and Scotland ,but it should be more environmentally friendly and prioritise workers' needs.
My stance on the construction of HS2 connecting London to Birmingham is one of cautious consideration rather than outright support or opposition.
@9QJWJ699mos9MO
No, the project has outlived its budget already and still nothing has been built. Stop now, before even more costs are incurred and more lives are unnecessarily uprooted!
@9QG95KJ9mos9MO
We need construction of new railways, and the improvement of existing rail networks, on routes that aren't just London to somewhere
@9QFVP899mos9MO
Yes because the scheme is well advanced and needs completion but it should have been cheaper (planning reform and less High Speed) it should go to its original plan.
@9QBR8D49mos9MO
Yes and extend to the North of England. Maybe Scotland can fund their own bespoke high speed network.
@9Q4NNZG9mos9MO
It is a good idea however current infrastructure construction and over spending make it impractical.
@9PYQ78P9mos9MO
Yes but it should be done with strict funding limits and contracts that don't inflate and reward bad efficiency.
@9PWZC439mos9MO
Yes, but it should have been completed connecting the North to the South, as planned. There should also have been more consideration for Wales in this project.
@9PTXJQM9mos9MO
Whatever improves the largest portion of our public transport in the most cost-efficient way. I don;t have the evidence to hand, what the best way forward is here.
@9PRFZVW9mos9MO
No, this service isn't essential. It would be more beneficial to improve rail in Wales and the North of England over bettering already sufficient transport links to London.
@9PQM7MB9mos9MO
I support the construction of the additional line, but it should not be made to HS standards as this adds very significant cost
@9PP9FBB9mos9MO
We should improve current links along that route, upgrading them to that standard to prevent the loss of wildlife and greenbelts
@9PNSR7Y9mos9MO
Yes, but every effort should be made to make it carbon neutral and have the lowest impact it can on the environment.
@9PLJ32K9mos9MO
I would support the development of HS2 if it was not suffering from the severe budgeting issues it is. Although that is not all the cause of the developers, but also the NIMBYs who complained about the presence of the network
@9PK3LD69mos9MO
I thought HS 2 was a good idea but why did it not start in the north and come to Birmingham first and then continue to London?
@9PJG5QT9mos9MO
Yes, as a lot of money has been spent on it already, and that shouldn't be wasted, but existing routes need to be electrified first, such as the great western mainline
@9PHT2T39mos9MO
Yes. Extend it to all across the UK and provide transport services like trams and metros to allow people from surburbs and towns to get to city centres.
@9PHC26S9mos9MO
Yes, but only if it is economically friendly, and doesn't cause any kind of severe noise and/or light pollution.
HS2 should go futher the times it will save is very low compared to the time it takes now, I would like us to invest the money into more advanced way of transport such as the hyperloop or something simular
@9PH24QN9mos9MO
Only provided it offers a demonstrably faster and more efficient service than the standard rail network at good value.
@9PDWLP79mos9MO
Too late..isn’t it..we had a go. The railways are a disgrace and an embarrassment. I can’t afford to use them.
@9MZGPNR10mos10MO
Yes if it will have a net benefit over the long haul and if it will generate economic profit in the end
@9MZFTYG10mos10MO
To an extent, unsure if the costs outweigh potential benefits, money could have been used more wisely to subsidise current rail travel
@9MZ5QV610mos10MO
Yes, but it shouldn’t be classed as an England and Wales project when it only benefits England. Give wales their fair share of money!
HS2 is based on antiquated technology, more should be invested on new technology and improving infrastructure, high speed maglev tram systems and more futuristic technology. Hs2 is a cash cow for poorly run construction companies.
@9MY6QKY10mos10MO
yes, but provided cost does not increase and it can be used to transport vehicles as well as people.
Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion
Loading data...
Join in on more popular conversations.