Grayling eases fears over HS2 rail project

THE new Transport Secretary has backed the highspeed HS2 rail project.

Chris Grayling vowed not to scrap HS2, easing fears of those concerned it may have been scrapped by new Prime Minister Theresa May’s government.

Mr Grayling emphasised that the line is as much about capacity as it is about speed and said it would help ease congestion on overcrowded trains.

“I have no plans to back away from the HS2 project,” he told the BBC. “And the thing that’s important for people to understand is that HS2 is not simply a speed project, it’s a capacity project.

“We have lines at the moment which have seen huge increases in the number of passengers.

“The West Coast mainline is becoming really congested, it’s limiting the capacity of services to places like Northampton and Milton Keynes.

“HS2 has always been a capacity project as much as a speed project.

“Of course it makes sense if we’re going to build a new railway line for it to be a fast railway line, to increase travel times or reduce travel times. That’s logical.

“But actually we need a better transport system for the 21st century and HS2 is part of increasing the capacity of our transport system.”

Meanwhile, Mr Grayling said he wants to make a rapid decision on airport capacity.

His predecessor Patrick McLoughlin said the timetable for a runway set out by the Airports Commission might only be met if a decision on whether to back projects at Heathrow or Gatwick is taken by October.

In 2009, it was reported that Mr Grayling privately voiced concerns over the Conservative Party’s then-opposition to the Heathrow expansion.