HS2 answers freight needs

In answer to Anthony Gick’s letter ( Open Access, RAIL 863), HS2 was originally intended to be both a high-speed line and a new line designed to increase capacity.

One may need to go to the transcript of the Heathrow Terminal 5 Public Inquiry, section 5: ‘Noise’

(May 1995 to March 1999) to determine the origins of HS2: to relieve the London Airport network (primarily Heathrow) of 40,000 annual flights to and from lowland Scotland, in turn making a noticeable improvement to the noise situation over the whole of West London between Westminster/Vauxhall and Heathrow.

The rail alternative was to provide a non-stop train between London & Edinburgh in 2¼ hours, continuing to Glasgow in 2¾hours, constructed to the French LVG standard.

At a later date, intermediate localities obtained stations on Tyneside/Wearside and in southern Yorkshire (Leeds). Still later, some mandarin in Whitehall required the route to be realigned for 400kph (250mph) against the then ‘European’ standard of 300kph.

Quite suddenly, Birmingham became the northern terminus, clearly in the belief that 400kph is attainable in the lengthy tunnels out to Ruislip, under the Chilterns and into Birmingham. Air pressure alone would reduce tunnel feed to the order of 200kph - depending upon the streamline shape of the front and rear of a ‘train- unit’, the tunnel bore diameter and the funneling at each end.

Apparently, with the greatest reluctance, HS2 is to be extended to serve Manchester and Leeds (via Toton and Sheffield) with a Hybrid Bill already before parliament). Never a mention of its original purpose: the reduction of aircraft noise approaching (and departing) Heathrow.

Further to your correspondent’s second question, it is necessary to increase the commuter capacity of all routes into London.

Here in Milton Keynes, the emerging local plan (Plan MK) foresees a rise in the urban population from the present 225,000 to 400,000 over the next 30 years. A proportion of this increase will commute to London simply because they can obtain a mortgage for a three to fourbedroomed house in Milton Keynes for less than half the cost of almost anywhere within the M25 ring (then complain of the annual fare increase!).

The Department for Transport should already be preparing for London Northwestern Railway to be able to lease the additional eight units necessary to bring all their morning trains (before 0901 as at Milton Keynes) up to 12 carriages for London-bound morning peak travel.

Lastly, there is a need for more route capacity out of Euston, for container trains. Daventry International Rail freight Terminal continues to expand with a separate section under construction.

Two new freight terminals, adjacent to Northampton, are actively proceeding through their initial planning processes. Rail Central’s terminal ( RAIL 863) provides for three tracks for a 35-wagon train, fed each way off of the Northampton loop, together with a short loop off of the Up fast track near the former Blisworth station. Detailed road links to the M1, the adjacent highway network, are included in this project.

The other scheme, near Roade, is for the time being in a state of ‘active slumber’. Leonard Lean, Milton Keynes