Written evidence from Andrew Green (HSR
157)
WIDER IMPACT
ON NON
HS2 JOURNEY TIMES
AND HS2 USER'S
ACTUAL "DOOR
TO DOOR"
JOURNEY TIMES
I would like to request that the Committee fully
considers the wider impact of HS2 on the wider publics journey
times and potential users actual door to door journey times.
The main justification for HS2 and the selection
of an extremely high speed option is often given as the
savings in journey times simplistically quoted as 'platform to
platform' times. This ignores the more complex real world times
of peoples actual journeys which don't start and end at a train
platform. The actual impact on journey times using the complete
transport system and real world speeds (rather than maximum design
speeds) that will actually be achieved by HS2 needs to be independently
assessed.
Secondly, HS2 will lead to less frequent services
for all the passengers at intermediate stops on the existing rail
lines who will not have access to HS2. It will not be commercially
viable to run so many services once large numbers of passengers
are removed from the line resulting in less frequent and slower
journey times for many rail users. This also needs to be independently
assessed and set against HS2 speed benefits for passengers that
can use it.
These appear to be major flaws in HS2 relating to
the UKs overall transport policy which have not been fully scrutinised
and independently assessed.
May 2011
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