HS2: CILT welcomes far-sighted decision on vital new rail route

Steve Agg
Chief Executive at Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK
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Post date: Wednesday, 11th January 2012

The announcement of the new high-speed railway line between London and Birmingham is to be welcomed as the first step towards building a vital new route to Manchester and Leeds; with connections to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Its importance is not about how quickly we can travel to Birmingham, but as a project that will be a permanent legacy, ensuring our children have a revitalised transport network with an essential new route to the north.

It will provide a vital boost which, in the long term, will create new jobs and spread wealth across the country, as well as alleviating congestion and improving connectivity for millions of people in a sustainable way. 

The line will also free up much needed spare capacity on the congested existing main lines to the north, which will ensure more paths for freight trains and local passenger traffic.

This means journey time savings, passenger volumes and the economic benefits of a new line can be extended and maximised.

See Channel 4's report on HS2 below.

Logistics Insight