High Speed Rail route before Christmas
THE Government’s preferred route for a high speed rail line connecting London to Birmingham and the North of England will be announced before Christmas, the Secretary of State for Transport has said.
The Government will start a consultation process in the New Year on a ‘Y’ shaped high speed rail network with separate legs from the West Midlands to Manchester and Leeds, Philip Hammomd pledged.
Speaking at a business debate on High Speed 2 in Birmingham’ Mr Hammond said he would personally monitor plans to mitigate negative impacts of the new rail route, while urging business leaders to “speak up and speak out” for the railway line.
Mr Hammond said he wanted to assuage concerns of home and business owners who will be affected by the route, announcing details about the Exceptional Hardship Scheme to compensate people in special circumstances who need to sell their home or business now.
Subsequent compensation schemes would be introduced he said that would compensate home and business owners for loss of value to their properties.
Mr Hammond said the High Speed 2 project was central to the government’s drive to rebalance the economy, and claimed high speed rail could help tackle the North-South divide.
High Speed 2 contributed to the government’s decision not to expand airports in the South East of England and Mr Hammond spoke of a “modal shift” towards better use of rail.
