Written evidence from Mark Bostock (HSR
70)
I am responding to the Transport Committee's request
for written submissions. I hope my submission will be the basis
for me giving oral evidence.
1. I personally was involved in identifying the
alignment for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link adopted by Government
in October 1991. In his statement to the House on 14 October,
the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr. Malcolm Rifkin stated:
"
we have decided that a route on the
lines put forward by Ove Arup which approaches central London
from the east, via Stratford, is to be preferred. It would satisfy
our transport objectives by providing additional capacity when
it is needed. Moreover, it would minimize the impact of the line
on the environment and on residual property. British Rail estimates
that 38 km will be in tunnel on the easterly route (The Arup
Alignment), as against 25 km on the southerly route (The
British Rail/Department for Transport route). Only two domestic
properties would be acquired and none demolished, as against 127
acquired and 24 demolished on the southerly route (The British
Rail Alignment). British Rail further estimates that only
five properties would be within 100 m of the line and 115 within
200 m against 1,900 and 5,900 respectively on the southern route
(British Rail Alignment).
The impact on the landscape, too, would be less,
with fewer kilometers of the easterly route in ancient woodland,
on the surface in areas of outstanding natural beauty, or in green
belt
Finally, in preferring a route on the lines put forward
by Ove Arup, we recognized the substantial potential that it offered
for development along the east thames corridor
etc."
Hansard Volume 196 No 154 Monday 14 October 1991
pages 22/23
2. Securing the right line for the CTRL raises
many issues which I think are relevant in planning the appropriate
alignment for HS2. Some of these are listed below:
The
need for clear objectives right at the start of any new major
transport investment. In the case of HS1 this was the need to
link the Chunnel Tunnel portal with the national rail network
to link the European and British systems. This objective was easily
translated into an overriding national imperative which we were
able to discuss with local interests as we were developing our
alignment. This minimised any outright objections to the need
for our developing alignment which was discussed and debated at
length as we walked our proposed route adjusting it at the margins
to meet specific local issues. Our approach contrasted with that
of BR which caused outrage in Kent when they announced their southerly
route.
Utilizing
existing motorway corridors whenever possible and avoiding AONBs.
Providing
links with the existing classic railway to enable through running
services thereby creating a degree of "return" for those
affected by the new alignment.
Moving
away from a solely rail solution to more of a transport/regeneration
investment opportunity by proposing intermediate stations at Ebbsfleet,
with its links to the national road network and at Stratford,
creating it as one of the best connected locations in the country
(hence the Olympic Project).
The
lack of any national transport strategy thwarted our plans for
a high speed link to "beyond London" and for accepting
the need for a four track formation from the Medway River into
London (and beyond).
3. I was involved in developing a transport/development
solution to the country's first high speed railway rather than
a rail-only solution and a similar approach is much needed in
developing HS2. As we develop further the high speed rail network
we need a proposition with clear transport objectives to maximize
the economic benefits to the UK Plc from any private and public
investment made by the inter-related aviation, rail and road sectors
where there is an appropriate balance between speed, cost, benefits
and impacts. This was at the heart of HS1's success and I do not
think it has been achieved with the present proposals.
4. My experience will hopefully help the members
of the Transport Select Committee in its deliberations and I would
be interested in giving oral evidence. Nicholas Faith in his book
"THE RIGHT LINE: The Politics, The Planning and the against-the-odds
gamble behind Britain's First High-Speed Railway" (Segrave
Foulkes, 1997) gives an interesting insight into the role of the
private sector in securing the alignment and the inability of
the public sector to deliver it!
May 2011
|