Arguments For and Against High Speed 2 Rail - Essay Example

Arguments for and against High Speed 2 Rail By Foundation Finance and Accounting [Department] 18 November 2014 1.0 Arguments for and against High Speed 2 Rail 1.1 Introduction High Speed 2 (HS2) is a new ultra-high speed rail line proposed by the UK Government and stretches between London and regions of West Midlands (Therivel 2004). According to the Government, the project that is expected to for completion in 2033, is estimated to cost about £42.6 billion in building the rail a further £7.5 billion for stocking the trains. The project has been distributed in two phases, with the first phase comprising of rail system that runs from London to Birmingham (Wetherly and Otter 2014, Yao 2013). The phase is expected to cost £17.1 billion and will not be ready until 2026. The second phase will comprise of stations at Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leads. It is expected to be complete by 2033 (Inderwildi and King 2012). According to research, the HS2 has received both approval and criticism by the public in equal measure. There are several reasons presented by either side, with environmental concerns and fiscal viability of the project raising the most debates. Having weighed the both sides of the arguments, I wish to present some of the major opinions for and against the HS2 project. 2.0 Arguments for the project HS2 will boost the economy of UK HS2 is expected to create about 100,000 jobs opportunities in the construction industry once the entire line is running (High Speed Two (HS2) 2014). The line is expected to open up more transport connections which will minimize production and transport costs. This will stimulate higher productivity and consequently greater competition between various regions in UK. According to KPMG report, the UK productivity will rise by £15 billion a year, which translates to 0.8 percent growth in the country’s GDP (KPMG 2013). The report also outlines that the project is more likely to benefit the Midlands and the North more as compared to London. The report suggests that more than 70 percent of the jobs opportunities will be created outside of London. The line has been described as one that bridges the north-south divide (Great Britain 2013). HS2 will help ease pressure from UK’s ever-growing need for increased air traffic UK has had a raging debate for a long time regarding the future of the country’s airports. The major concern is their ability to provide sustained quality services even as the number of passengers continues to rise. The introduction of HS2 will certainly relieve some pressure from airports in the north of UK such as Birmingham Airport, which presently serves about 27 million passengers annually. With the addition of the rail line and the airport’s expansion in place, this figure could rise to about 70 million passenger traffic per year. The same effect is expected to be felt at Manchester Airport, as well as Leeds-Bradford. HS2 will ensure that Britain keeps up with developments in other European railways Considering that UK has one of the lowest rates of electrified Railway systems compared to other Western Europe countries, HS2 will help to boost this standing. The UK rail system, therefore, require expansion in the same measure there are plans for the country’s airports. There are also considerations to establish direct rail routes to and from London to other international destinations such as Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Once the HS2 rail system is ready, the movement by rail between European cities and other UK cities such as Manchester and Leeds will provide economic benefits to the northern part of the country. This will be in the form of attracting business people and consequently business opportunities to the region. HS2 will be suitable for the environment According to the government, establishing HS2 will drift the focus of millions of air and road users to the more efficient rail system. The system will help to open up space on the present rail links for freight thus lowering over-reliance on roads. The government views the rail as an efficient method of transporting people as it requires fewer stops that translates to less energy expended on frequent braking and acceleration (Inderwildi and King 2012). HS2 will boost the national pride of the country Most supporters view the rail system as an emblem of national pride, ranking it in a similar level as the London Olympics held in 2012. They hope that the system will produce the same effect as the event. The rail is also seen as UK’s lasting national asset. 3.0 Arguments against the project High-speed rail system is outdated Critics claim that UK is taking up an obsolete technology that has shown little success in various countries in the world where it has been in use. They give examples of Spain, which is considered to have the largest coverage of high-speed line in Europe (Urena 2012). They claim that despite widespread praise for its swiftness and luxury, the rail system in Spain still makes losses. In another example, France recently cancelled their plans of constructing more high-speed rail projects instead citing unnecessary expenditure on the expensive systems. Critics argue that the high-speed rail is an outdated technology and has since been overtaken by others such as video conferencing and other technology that are cheaper for doing business. The HS2 rail will not solve the transport problem Critics opine that HS2 fails to target the busiest stations in London which they say are Paddington, Liverpool, Waterloo and Liverpool Street. They claim that servicing areas such as West Coast and Euston will not tackle the existing problem. According the Government, however, HS2 will help to free up traffic capacity by taking off the long-distance trains from the current lines to the new high-speed line. However, the majority of the trains that ply the commuter lines are halting services that cannot be transferred to HS2. Therefore, critics do not expect much impact on the existing lines and, therefore, do not find it worth the high cost. HS2 is not good for the environment According to opponents of the high-speed rail system, HS2 threatens numerous unique habitats, river corridors, sensitive areas ad ancient woods among others (Allmendinger and Thomas 2002). This has been influenced by the ultra-high speeds that dictate the HS2 rails to be as straight as possible. This, therefore, means that the tracks cannot curve and avoid these environmentally-sensitive areas. The critics also question Government’s claims that the rail system will attract more people thereby relieving other means of transport such as road and air. They say that the shift will be minimal and, therefore, without significant impact on the expected reduced pollutions. UK lacks money to fund the project Many people have questioned the affordability of the high-speed rail project especially when majority feel the country is experiencing financial strains and scarce resources (Great Britain 2011). According to them, the project is needlessly costly while it does not provide enough guarantee to give back a worthy value. A part of the public also do not seem to believe that the projected cost will be the final bill of the project. They think that it will grow in the course of the construction process. The existing rails are good enough Some opponents of HS2 claim that most UK cities are already well supplied with rail systems and journeys to and from London are relatively short. They, therefore, claim that improving the road network and pricing would be a cheaper and better alternative. 4.0 Conclusion The concerns raised against the establishment of HS2 are legitimate, however, when put in perspective, the benefits outweigh the costs. HS2 will recoup its cost in the long term and, therefore, the initial capital should not be a source of great concern (Great Britain 2010). Bibliography Allmendinger, P., & Thomas, H. (Eds.). 2002. Urban Planning and the British New Right. London, Routledge. Great Britain. 2010. Cross-border provision of public services for Wales: follow-up: tenth report of session 2009-10: report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. London, Stationery Office. Great Britain. 2011. High speed rail: tenth report of session 2010-12. London, Stationery Office. Great Britain. (2013). Investing in Britains future. London, Stationery Office. Grossbritannien. 2010. High speed rail. London, TSO. High Speed Two (HS2), Limited., Economic Benefits and Jobs, viewed 18 November 2014, Inderwildi, O., & King, D. 2012. Energy, transport, & the environment: addressing thE sustainable mobility paradigm. London, Springer. Kpmg. 2013, HS2 Regional Economic Impacts, viewed 18 November 2014, Therivel, R. 2004. Strategic Environmental Assessment in Action. London, Earthscan. Ureña, J. M. (Ed.). 2012, Territorial implications of high speed rail: a Spanish perspective. Burlington, Ashgate Publishing. Wetherly, P., & Otter, D. 2014. The business environment: themes and issues in a globalizing world, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Yao, R. (2013). Design and management of sustainable built environments. London, Springer. Read More