From the BBC website: The HS2 rail scheme might not be ready before 2030 because of “dither and delay” by ministers, former Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said. The Labour peer said he feared the legislation needed for the project may not be passed within this parliament. Phase one of the £33bn high-speed rail link, [...]
Originally published in The Times The urgently needed high-speed modernisation of our railways is being put at risk by slow-footed ministers The only thing high speed about the development of High Speed 2 in Britain is the treading of water. If Justine Greening, the Transport Secretary, gives the go-ahead to the new rail line from [...]
For Progress We must not oppose high-speed rail for opposition’s sake. High Speed Two is Labour’s scheme in origin and conception. Our battle with the Tories should not be on the existing HS2 proposal, but on taking the line right through from London to Manchester and Leeds as a single project rather than stopping at Birmingham [...]
For the Huffington Post Today an economic report has been published that reaffirms what we have known all along. High-speed rail will deliver jobs and growth. The report, commissioned by Britain’s leading cities, is supported by politicians and business leaders alike and states that 1,000,000 jobs rely on the support of the Governments investment in [...]
Lunar Society Annual Lecture, Birmingham, 15 March 2011 As an Arsenal supporter, I know never to underestimate Birmingham City. Not only because of the Carling Cup, but also because, living in Highbury, I am conscious that when Joseph Chamberlain – in many ways the creator of modern Birmingham – was sent from London to Birmingham [...]
For Progress Labour’s policy review needs to reaffirm its commitment to high-speed rail, ensuring a green alternative to more roads and flights Labour’s plan for high-speed rail, which I unveiled last March, is a key part of our strategy for growth, regional development and sustainable mobility. It is vital Labour’s forthcoming policy review reaffirms our [...]
Even America is investing in high-speed rail. It’s time Britain did the same, says the transport minister Originally in Prospect Magazine On the day America elected Barack Obama, the people of California took a less noticed, but still momentous, referendum decision. They voted in favour of the country’s first genuinely high-speed railway connecting San Francisco [...]