High-speed link 'should be pledged to Scotland now'

Published on Thursday 11 March 2010 21:35

A HIGH-SPEED rail line proposed by the UK government yesterday must include a commitment from the outset to reach Scotland, business leaders have urged.

• Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy runs to get to the front of a departing train to record an interview on the high-speed link announcement. Picture: Robert Perry

The call came after Transport Secretary Lord Adonis published proposals for a line from London to Birmingham in 2026.

Lord Adonis also gave his backing for a cross-Border extension, but, as expected, set out details only for the initial section.

He confirmed that some of the new 250mph high-speed trains would run on existing lines to Scotland – albeit at slower speeds, as The Scotsman revealed last April. He said yesterday that they could go as far north as Aberdeen.

Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron said: "Scotland must be a part of our national high-speed rail network from the outset, and this announcement does not go far enough for Scottish businesses. Independent research has estimated the economic benefits of high-speed rail to Scotland to be in excess of 7 billion, and there are significant environmental and productivity benefits to be gained from the modal shift from air to rail such an investment would bring to Scotland."

Construction on the first stage could begin in 2017, subject to consultation. The line would run from Euston in London to Birmingham – linking England's two largest conurbations – and reduce journey times to between 30 and 50 minutes.

Lord Adonis said the government supported a network north of Birmingham, running either side of the Pennines, connecting cities in the north of England to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Initially, journey times from the Central Belt to London could be reduced to three and half hours, compared with the current fastest time of just over four hours.

The UK government estimated the journey would be further slashed to two hours 40 minutes if a high-speed line reached Scotland – but it gave no timescale for the extended line.

Holyrood transport minister Stewart Stevenson said: "High-speed rail between Scotland and London would make journey times of under three hours achievable and open up rail travel beyond to the rest of Europe.

"A three-hour journey time would also give rail a 67 per cent share of the market between Scotland and London and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Scottish Government has developed a compelling case for high-speed rail to Scotland, and it is vital it happens."

Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said the announcement signalled the UK government's ambition to make rail travel faster and better. He said: "I think there will be a strong business case for extending high-speed lines to Scotland. The decision on creating those lines in Scotland is devolved, but I know many Scots would welcome a Scottish Government decision to match the UK's ambition for our rail network."

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said: "The Conservatives are committed to taking the second phase of high-speed rail to Scotland. As Labour conceded earlier this week, they haven't even initiated a dialogue with the SNP government about funding for it."

Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Alison McInnes, MSP, said high-speed travel must be met with improvements north of the Central Belt.

"The Scottish transport minister needs to make sure that high-speed rail from London is met in Scotland by a much-improved Scottish train system," she said. "The SNP must not duck their own rail responsibilities."

WWF Scotland head of policy Dr Dan Barlow said: "To be able to reduce demand for polluting short-haul flights, Scotland must not be left behind in securing high-speed rail connections.

"With much of our current transport policy at odds with commitments to deliver drastic cuts in climate pollution, moving people from planes to trains is an important part of developing a sustainable transport system."

But Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the Royal Automobile Club Foundation, said the line would do nothing to improve the daily journeys of the vast majority of the travelling public.

He said: "Looked at in isolation, this scheme has some merit, with shorter journey times and less crowding for rail passengers. But in the context of huge transport and public funding problems, it makes much less sense. It will cost vast amounts of taxpayers' money and only benefit a small number of higher-income passengers."