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Leeds Commuters Urged to Support HS2
High speed rail link will bring cash and jobs claims council
HARD-pressed commuters are being urged to support a campaign that could bring a high-speed rail link to the Leeds City Region.
Yorkshire stands to reap more than £2bn in economic benefits from the government’s proposed national network of 200mph+ trains, known as ‘HS2’, which will cut the journey time from Leeds to London to just 80 minutes.
“We must not be derailed by a vocal minority in the Home Counties, who are opposing the scheme."
Visitors to www.yorkshireneedshighspeedrail.co.uk sign up to support the national ‘Yes to High Speed Rail’ campaign.
They can also find out how the planned high-speed link will support the creation of new jobs and encourage companies to locate and invest in the Leeds City Region.
The Department for Transport’s consultation on the first stage of ‘HS2’ between London and Birmingham closes on 29 July so Metro, the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, the Leeds City Region LEP, and Leeds City Council are working together to urge businesses and residents from across the region to show their support.
“If we are to realise these economic benefits, we need the first stage of the scheme from London to Birmingham to be approved, “ says Gary Williamson, chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce.
“We must not be derailed by a vocal minority in the Home Counties, who are opposing the scheme. That’s why we are encouraging local people and businesses to respond to the consultation and show their support for the scheme.”
The high-speed link will also support the city council’s ambitious redevelopment plans.
"With Leeds Arena and the Trinity Leeds shopping complex in development, the council is working with its partners in a concerted effort to attract jobs and further investment to Leeds, and we need the best possible transport links to support that,” said councillor Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds City Council.
The new website at www.yorkshireneedshighspeedrail.co.uk is also supported by a Facebook page - ‘Yorkshire needs High-Speed Rail’ and on Twitter @HighSpeed2Yorks.
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The potential benefits to the North of HS2 have been hugely exaggerated. Far from narrowing the north-south divide, HS2 would only make the UK even more London-centric than it is at the moment. A far cheaper and more effective way of generating the economy in cities like Leeds and Manchester would be to improve local transport links and invest in ultra-igh-speed broadband. In the digital age, it makes far more sense to do business via video link than to buy an expensive rail ticket and spend most of the day getting down to London, battling across the Tube network and back again, just to meet someone face to face. When we're cutting back on nurses and police officers and making tens of thousands of people redundant, it sends completely the wrong signal for the Government to be splurging £32 billion on a white elephant like this. Let's save the money - and protect what's left of our fast-disapperaing countryside for future generations.
"...spend most of the day getting down to London, battling across the Tube network and back again" - I have to question that. I sometimes catch the 0700 from Manchester and am always in Wimbledon by 0945... That's Virgin to Euston, Victoria line to Vauxhall and Overground to Wimbledon. Hardly 'most of the day', is it?