HS2M READERS’ LETTERS

The pages of HS2 Matters over the past months have been littered with the most ludicrous suggestions and arguments that defy logic.

What is the point of HS2? It is not to just save 20 minutes between London and Birmingham. It is not to provide a link to HS1. It is not to dump passengers in Stratford as the main southern terminal, who would then have to somehow get to (presumably) central London. It is not to include stations in West Sussex. It is not to water itself down and run half the time on existing commuter lines. Nor is it to end up short of London where everyone would transfer to a Maglev.

HS2 is, in fact, a national network of HIGH SPEED lines that will relieve the existing tracks. High speed is important because that is what people want. They no longer want to waste time sitting while the train slows for curves.

But what it is developing into, and which needs addressing, is a disjointed mish-mash, just like the old pre-nationalisation companies.

Where is the sense in not taking into account George Osborne’s east-west northern HS3, and linking all the routes at key points such as Manchester and Leeds in the same stations?

Surely it would be foolish to force passengers to walk or get trams between two HS stations in one city centre? We now have the chance to build in full integration.

Manchester and Leeds must not be terminals. The northeast link to the East Coast Main Line on to Newcastle needs to be available as a run through from London, and not a dead end. The same applies for Manchester. Who would want a replication of the ancient Piccadilly-Victoria cross-city problem, which contributed to so much inconvenience? The country does not stop at Piccadilly - there are huge swathes of industrial conurbations all across the north Manchester area and across to Liverpool. All these areas need simple, straightforward HS links designed for maximum speed and minimum time wasting en route.

The terminal idea must be dropped now, before any construction takes place. Osborne may have gone, but the various bodies still have responsibility to execute the Northern Powerhouse links, which must not be allowed to falter. Investment in London is mind boggling, and the north MUST continue to benefit, too.

D Pilkington, Stockport

I was delighted to happen upon HSUK in

RAIL 808. The M1 corridor route has been obvious for many years, but I’d largely resigned myself to the entrenchment of HS2 thinking. Having now seen that HSUK is being discussed in RAIL, I’m inclined to offer what feels like an obvious comment.

The Chiltern route for HS2 was fundamentally based on serving Heathrow, which is now abandoned. Then, all design north of Birmingham has been based on the assumption that the Chiltern route will be built.

Given that so much of the population would be better served using the HSUK route, and that construction has not yet started, the only possible reason for persisting with the Chiltern route would be a face-saving attempt for those who made that ill-conceived choice of route in the first place. If this continues, the UK will have the legacy of an inferior route and the reputation of Britain’s railways will be permanently soured.

Those in power need to swallow hard, stop pouring good money after bad, and rectify the mistake by backing HSUK while we still have the chance.

Chris Oldham, Uffington

Leeds needs HS3 to free capacity on the City Station approaches for more local services. Four new high level platforms with an HS2/HS3 line east to York/Hull/Doncaster and an HS3 line west to a Wakefield/Bradford/ Huddersfield junction at Copley Hill.

Leeds could then build local stations at Armley, the Airport, Hawsworth, Millshaw Park, White Rose Centre, Wortley, Richmond Hill, Osmandthorpe and Killingbeck. Local trains could run from Selby or York through Leeds to Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield or Wakefield, serving these inner-city stations.

Inter-city trains from London could run through Leeds from the east, above the local trains, to other West Yorkshire cities, with many trains returning directly to London via Wakefield. TransPennine Express trains would use the HS2 approach to the east, quickly passing the new local trains to join the York line north of Church Fenton or the Hull line east of Micklefield.

Heavy rail is a resource for the region and should not be converted to tram/train operation to the benefit of only one city. The improvements outlined here could and should be implemented long before HS3 arrives.

Stephen Bird, Dewsbury