CHAPTER 9: THE QUESTIONS FOR GOVERNMENT
On the basis of our report, we ask the Government
following the 2015 General Election to address the questions below.
The Government must answer these questions before the High Speed
Rail Bill completes its passage through Parliament.
NATIONAL
TRANSPORT PLAN
· In the absence of a co-ordinated transport
plan, how can the Government be sure that HS2 is the best way
to achieve the project's objectives?
THE
COST OF
HS2
· What measures will be taken to limit the
cost of constructing HS2?
· Is the funding envelope of £50 billion
for the cost of construction an absolute limit or will this increase
with inflation?
· How much cheaper would a new railway built
for a lower maximum speed (for example, 320 kilometres per hour
as in France) be?
· How will the Government ensure that HS2
stations are appropriately linked in to local transport networks?
How will this be funded?
WHO
WILL PAY
FOR HS2
· Should passengers benefiting from faster
journeys on HS2 pay premium fares to reduce the high level of
taxpayer subsidy of the project?
· How does the high level of taxpayer subsidy
of HS2 fit with the Government's commitment to reduce the level
of subsidy of the UK rail network?
DEMAND
AND CAPACITY
· Will the Government either release the
full data on overcrowding, down to the level of individual services,
or ensure the data is reviewed independently, to provide the public
with evidence there will be a growing problem on long-distance
services?
LACK
OF CONSIDERATION
OF ALTERNATIVE
RAIL INVESTMENT
· Could incremental improvements to the
existing rail network deliver the required capacity improvements?
· Could the use of flexible pricing policies,
such as those used by low-cost airlines, assist with managing
overcrowding on the busiest trains?
· Is HS2 the best way to address the problems
which currently exist?
EFFECT
ON THE
UK ECONOMY
· Given that evidence from abroad suggests
that large cities benefit the most from improving connectivity,
how will HS2 rebalance Britain's economy?
· Is High Speed 2 the best way to spend
£50 billion to stimulate the UK economy?
· Would local and regional infrastructure
investment, as recommended by the Eddington Study of 2006, offer
a more realistic proposition of a return on investment than HS2?
PRIORITISATION
· Should improving regional rail links in
the north be prioritised ahead of building HS2 Phase One?
LACK
OF EVIDENCE
· What effect will the findings of the research
commissioned on values of time have on the cost-benefit analysis
of HS2?
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