Guest Post: Why HS2 is the wrong scheme.

Christian Wolmar “HS2 is driven by a flawed methodology”

In a guest post  on the eve of the second reading of the bill Christian Wolmar tells us why MPs should  not be impressed with high speed 2

It often surprises people when they find out that I oppose HS2. I am obviously a great supporter of the railways and therefore it is assumed that I support the biggest railway investment project this country has ever seen.

But as I show in my London Review of Books article, the entire scheme is misguided.

HS2 fails to address Britain’s infrastructure needs, is based on a flawed methodology, and is being driven by a group of politicians with little understanding of transport and the role of the railway in a transport system. For example, HS2 has been mistakenly designed to be separate from the rest of the railway network – with a lack of connections, and a focus on parkway and terminus stations.

In London, Camden will suffer disproportionately. The borough will lose hundreds of homes and faces a decade of major and difficult construction. Moreover, more than 200 homes in Camden will be lost – and many owners will not receive sufficient compensation to re-buy locally. This risks pushing a generation of Londoners away from the city. A further 250 homes in the borough are at risk. This loss will also reduce the amount of private-rental accommodation available in the area.

My article also highlights the miserable fate of the businesses in and around Drummond Street, which has flourished as an enclave of restaurants and shops for more than a generation. They are very unlikely to survive the destructive development of HS2. Unfortunately, the misery is compounded by uncertainty.

The government recently scrapped a damaging and hugely-expensive link between HS1 and HS2, and is revisiting the plans for Euston station. Those who live and work in, and enjoy Camden, have many years of uncertainty ahead of them.