So, the British government announced that Britain will really join the top table in the world with a real high speed rail line! The sliver that runs from London to the Channel Tunnel does not really count, as only about 6 people actually benefit from it!
And their Grand Plan? A huge plan to benefit the whole nation! A high speed line running from London, to, er, Birmingham...
Talk about lacking ambition! The long term ambition is to split after Birmingham, and run 2 lines up either side of the Pennines, one to Glasgow via Manchester, and the other to Edinburgh via Leeds. Problem is, these plans are ambitions. There is no concrete plan for these, no timetable, no provisions for the cash.
Also, the plan details construction to start in 2017, and completing the line to Birmingham by 2025.
Now, this may seem like a start, but it is so weak, and lacking in real ambition to be laughable! One of the main arguments is that high speed rail is the most environmentally way to move people round. OK, whilst under construction, it will spew a lot of CO2 into the air. As does building a new road, whilst constructing a new airport has marginally less.
However, where high speed rail really picks up is in competition. high speed rail is comparable to transport by car on CO2, it beats air travel hands down. It is slightly less convenient than car, but on the flip side, it is as comfortable, and less tiring! Also, apart from London City, most airports in the UK are on the outskirts, whilst the train stations are in the city centre.
Journey times for high speed rail would see from London to Manchester would be slashed from the 2 hr 10 min, to 1 hr 20. This is not as quick as plane, as from Manchester to London City is about 45 minutes. However, where the train picks up is on security. When you travel by plane, you have to get to the airport about an hour before the flight, there is the hastle of security, and then faffing round at the other end. In the end, turning a 45 minute flight into a journey time of most likely just over 2 hours. Making a high speed train look pretty attractive!
However, if Labour win the election, then they will follow their weak, half-baked plan.
The Conservatives issued their plan which would be to link Heathrow, Britains busiest airport, to the network, and extend the line in its first stage, from London, to Birmingham, then on to Manchester and Leeds. Their justification is that by doing so, they can take plenty of local flights out of Heathrow, allowing Heathrow to expand internationally, without having to physically expand as dramatically as they want. Cutting CO2 over all.
This does have a lot of merit, as high speed rail is designed to move people quickly, and more cleanly than air travel. The major rival to rail travel. It will also encourage people out of their cars. Especially on the longer runs from Manchester to London.
My fear is that the run from Birmingham will not be as successful as the government hopes. It is so close to London already that flying is not really an option, and close enough for people to easily drive. As the distance from London increases, the car gets less attractive as people look to switching to the plane. However, once high speed rail links their city, and offers comparable times, people will ditch their cars, and move from the highly pollutant planes and move onto the railway.
The Lib Dems have announced an even bigger plan! Following through with a plan similar to the Conservatives for high speed rail, but also by withdrawing £3bn from the roads and ploughing that into the rest of the rail network to upgrade the rest of it at the same time!
It is such a shame that the government has chosen such a weak plan. I live in Japan, and get to ride the Joetsu Shinkansen to Tokyo. This is great! I get to blast along at 150mph on a line that is about 30% longer than the line from Manchester to London. Also, I ride on a train that has 800 seats, and 1 trainset has over 1000! It is unbelievable!
Not only that, but the Japanese government built the whole line. Not half of it. But all of it. In 1 go! Even though its cost proved to be really high! They decided that it was worthwhile boring tunnels through the Japanese Alps because it would link Niigata with the capital city. It would prove wider economic benefits, environmental benefits, and social benefits as well.
The Japanese government is willing to pony up the massive amounts of money upfront for a Shinkansen line, as they know that they will, in the long run, benefit from higher taxes generated by the increase in business along the line. Also, it helps that the government is willing to carry debt for much longer than most western governments are willing for.
It can be done, as long as the government is willing to go for it! Just dont vote Labour...
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