Mayor:We’re losing battle for HS2

Street calls for direct service from Birmingham to Paris – and name change

WEST Midlands Mayor Andy Street has warned that supporters of the HS2 high speed rail line “are losing the battle for hearts and minds” – and called for trains to run directly from Birmingham to Paris.

The original plans for HS2 included services to the Continent through the Channel Tunnel, but these were ditched in order to save money.

Mr Street also criticised designs for the two planned HS2 stations at Curzon Street, central Birmingham, and near Birmingham Airport.

He said they have “all the quirkiness and charm of Stansted airport’s baggage drop-off area,” and called for “some architectural and regeneration magic” instead.

And he said the ‘HS2’ name was putting people off, calling for “a new brilliant name which captures the historical vision and ambition of the project”.

But Mr Street also said it was essential to cut costs, and suggested getting private developers to contribute to building new stations could “knock billions of the price tag”.

The mayor issued the warning in an article in The Times, after the Department for Transport confirmed that the proposed rail network will cost more than expected and cannot be completed on time.

HS2 was due to be finished in 2033 and might now be delayed until 2040. And the project, due to cost £55.7 billion in total, might now cost up to £78 billion.

Mr Street was part of a review set up by the Government to consider whether HS2 should go ahead, or whether should be cut back.

The findings of the review have not been published, although a leaked report is said to recommend that HS2 should proceed.

Mr Street said: “With the stories of cost over-runs and people’s homes and businesses being demolished to build the line, it has become too easy to forget the power of HS2 to make the Midlands and the North richer.”

He added: “Let’s take the opportunity to revisit some of the most exciting visionary parts of the project.

“We should reinstate the plans to link HS2 to Eurostar, so we can run direct trains from Manchester and Birmingham to Paris, Brussels, and beyond.

“In a world where we are all more

it aware of our carbon footprint, and when the door-to-door journey times are competitive, train beats plane hands down. And what better way after Brexit to show that we will continue to be good neighbours than by giving our French, Belgian and Dutch friends a way to travel directly to Villa Park and Old Trafford by train?”

Calling for new designs for the proposed stations, he said: “Of course we need to get a grip of the costs, and one way we can do that is by turning the HS2 stations into hives of new offices, shops, restaurants and new apartments which will be able to advertise the shortest commutes in the world.

“We can knock billions of the price tag, if we get the private sector to pay for these developments.

“But in our rush to save cash, let’s not lose the opportunity to create some architectural and regeneration magic while we’re at it.”

And the mayor added: “The final thing we should do is ditch the name.

“Nothing has done more to reinforce the image of a men in suits, with their Apprentice-style wheely suitcases, whizzing down to London for ‘a senior corporate client executive stakeholder meeting’, than the name High Speed 2.

“The name completely misses the point about the benefits for everyday local commuters.”