PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has announced that HS2 is going ahead, and reaction has been coming in.

However, he has criticised the management of HS2 Ltd, particularly in its approach to local communities.

Mr Johnson said: ‘The Cabinet has given High Speed Rail the green signal. We are going to get this done. And we are taking action to restore discipline to the project.’

He also said Northern Powerhouse Rail will be developed. He continued: Some have suggested cancelling HS2 to get Northern Powerhouse Rail done. But this is not an either-or proposition. They will be part of one integrated plan.

‘Let us bring about a future where high speed trains glide between our cities.’

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded: ‘Today’s piecemeal announcements do not repair the damage done by a decade of Tory government.’

Midlands Connect Chairman Sir John Peace said: ‘HS2 is the only shovel ready infrastructure project that can future-proof our rail network, keep rail travel affordable and bring our country together in an environmentally-sustainable way. We must now get on delivering this once-in-a-century upgrade of our rail network to level up the economy and unleash the potential of the Midlands and the North.

‘HS2 is already a catalyst for huge regeneration in Birmingham city centre; now, we can get on with bringing the same transformation to the areas around the other Midlands’ HS2-connected stations.’

Dr Jenifer Baxter, who is chief engineer at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: ‘The Institute is delighted that the Government has retained confidence in the benefits of HS2. The resulting improvements to both north-south and east-west flows in the North of England will lead to economic growth, modal shift from road and air to rail for both passengers and freight. This will provide significant benefits for reduced greenhouse gas emissions and reduce pollutants that contribute to poor air quality.

‘The routes minimise the impact of construction on the operation of today’s railway with opportunities to investigate how the high-speed rail link can be delivered with minimal environmental impacts. For example, more refined modelling using information from High Speed 1 might indicate where some expensive tunnelling may be avoided.’

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: ‘This Government has dithered over this decision for far too long which has meant uncertainty and delays to this vital rail project. The Government and HS2 must take steps to ensure that jobs on the project are directly-employed, with union agreements, a safe workplace, and without the scourge of blacklisting.’

Not everyone is in favour. Jonathan Bartley of the Green Party said: ‘Today’s decision by Boris Johnson proves once again he will choose vanity projects over common sense. The economic and environmental case for HS2 has slowly crumbled since it was announced a decade ago. From whatever angle you look at it HS2 is a colossal white elephant.

‘It is time to put this project out of its misery and instead allocate these funds to facilitating a local and green transport revolution. We need projects that favour regional connectivity and help local people in their daily lives.’

source= http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2020/02/11-its-official-prime-minister-gives.html