Lords debates High Speed 2
25 October 2013
Members of the Lords, including the president of the Countryside Alliance and a member of the 2008 Lords Committee on the Crossrail Bill, debated the expected impact of High Speed 2, on Thursday 24 October.
The debate covered many of the issues raised by the plans for a new high speed network from London to Birmingham and the north of England. Members discussed the current problems of capacity on the east and west coast mainlines and whether HS2 would boost regional growth.
Members raised concerns about the estimated costs of the project and the danger of these costs spiraling as work gets underway. Compensation for those impacted by HS2 was also covered, with the government confirming that consultation was already underway.
The question of whether a high speed link to London, making it easier for people to commute to the capital, would actually serve to increase the current economic imbalance between the south east and the rest of the UK was also considered.
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