Written evidence from The Scottish Council
for Development and Industry (HSR 158)
1. The Scottish Council for Development and Industry
is pleased to participate in the Transport Select Committee's
inquiry into the strategic case for high speed rail. SCDI is an
independent membership network that strengthens Scotland's competitiveness
by influencing Government policies to encourage sustainable economic
prosperity. SCDI's membership includes businesses, trade unions,
local authorities, educational institutions, the voluntary sector
and faith groups.
2. SCDI strongly supports the introduction of
a high speed rail network connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh to
London and welcome the all-party vision to build a high speed
rail network linking large areas of the UK to the high speed rail
network in continental Europe. Whilst SCDI welcomes the speed
with which detailed plans for HS2 are progressing and the assurance
that Birmingham will not be the end of the line, we remain concerned
by the lack of a firm commitment to continue the HSR network to
Scotland and the lack of any timetable for this.
3. Inter-city rail travel has seen substantial
increases in passenger numbers over recent years. As fuel prices
increase and consumers are increasingly aware of their carbon
footprint, this modal shift is likely to continue. Significant
improvements in passenger satisfaction levels, investment in rolling
stock and reduction in journey times on major routes have also
been instrumental in increasing passenger numbers. Parts of the
existing inter-city rail infrastructure, such as the West Coast
Main Line are approaching maximum capacity.
4. As with any high-speed transportation system,
the greatest benefits are seen over longer distances. Network
Rail's August 2009 Strategic Business case for high speed rail[377]
concluded that a strong business case exists for the construction
of HSR to Scotland—stronger than a route terminating in
the West Midlands, Greater Manchester or Yorkshire. Greengauge
21's Fast Forward: A High Speed Rail Strategy for Britain[378]
calculated the economic and wider benefits of HSR. Scotland's
benefit figure of £19.8bn is the highest of any region in
the UK outside of London [Annex 1].
5. Including Glasgow and Edinburgh in HS2 from
the outset significantly improves the business case and provides
increased value for money to the taxpayer. Over 60 years, it pays
for itself 1.8 times over. Network Rail's report showed that new
HSR lines to Glasgow and Edinburgh are major demand generators,
adding some 10-11 million trips to the network. However, using
the classic network north of Preston severely reduces the advantage
of new lines and reduces the demand by 62% to just 4.1 million.
The benefits of the investment can only be maximised over the
longer London-Scotland distance.
6. High Speed Rail has the potential to create
a more balanced society where opportunities are more evenly shared
between regions. This is a policy priority which SCDI shares with
Government. Including Glasgow and Edinburgh in the network will
deliver significant economic benefits to Scotland; improving connectivity
with London, the South East and North of England and with Europe.
However, the failure to bring HS2 to Scotland will comparatively
disadvantage the Scottish economy, particularly in relation to
tourism.
7. Overseas evidence indicates that when a journey
can be made in less than three hours, railways capture 50% of
the market. HSR to Scotland would deliver the journey times required
at two and three quarter hours between Glasgow and Edinburgh and
London. Running High Speed trains on existing lines north of Manchester
and Leeds would not. Indeed, journey times would, at best, be
3 hours 37 minutes and High Speed trains using classic tracks
north of Manchester and Leeds could even be slower than at present.
8. Cross-border connectivity is a significant
issue for the development of Scotland's economy. SCDI was disappointed
that the third runway at the UK's hub airport, Heathrow, is not
to go ahead, raising concerns that lower-value domestic slots,
carrying traffic to and from Scottish cities will be lost in favour
of higher-value long haul slots into Heathrow. This makes High
Speed Rail connections between Scotland and London all the more
important.
9. SCDI recognise that high speed rail is unlikely
to be competitive on routes to the north of Scotland's central
belt. However, modal shift on journeys between the central belt
and London will present opportunities for increased regional air
services between Aberdeen, Inverness and Heathrow. We would also
like to see coordinated interconnecting services between the high
speed rail line and services on the classic rail network to and
from the north of Scotland.
10. High Speed Rail will also have a positive
impact on carbon emissions. As High Speed 1 and European routes
have demonstrated, in addition to the economic benefits of shorter
journey times, improved connectivity would promote modal shift
towards rail and away from aviation.
11. If rail is to become the mode of choice for
most inter-city journeys between the population and economic centres
of Scotland and the largest cities of the rest of the UK, building
new lines to Scotland is the only option. It would significantly
reduce air demand, capacity pressures at South East airports,
and carbon emissions.
12. SCDI is aware of and concerned by proposals
which would slow down high-speed rail in England. Any lengthening
to journey times will further erode the more marginal overall
benefits of journey time reductions to Scotland of the existing
high-speed rail proposals, the potential economic benefits
and likely environmental benefits of modal shift between
air and rail.
13. SCDI would like to see construction of the
new high speed line started at both ends as part of a firm commitment
to cross-border high speed rail. The Scottish Government, working
closely with northern English cities, should immediately begin
to prepare the way through the planning process. In addition,
the existing East and West Coast Main Lines linking Edinburgh
and Glasgow to London have the opportunity to undertake incremental
and comparatively inexpensive improvements which would act as
stepping stones on the way to a full high-speed rail link. Once
High Speed 2 is built, these lines would provide fast inter-regional
travel where there is large scale demand, and open up more track
space for low-carbon freight transportation.
14. With the new lines comes additional capacity
for freight transit. The UK and Scottish Governments should explore
the opportunities for freight, either from high speed freight
or greater access to existing main lines.
May 2011
Annex 1
REGIONAL ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF HIGH SPEED
RAIL
Image produced by Greengauge 21 and reproduced with
permission.
377 Strategic Business Case for High Speed Rail, Network
Rail,
http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Publications/Strategic-business-case-a44.aspx Back
378
Fast Forward: A High Speed Rail Strategy for Britain, Greengauge
21,
http://www.greengauge21.net/wp-content/uploads/fast-forward1.pdf
Back
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