The government’s consultation on High Speed 2 has come to an end. Camden Friends of the Earth have submitted their answer [download as PDF 400Ko] opposing the current plans. We invite the Department for Transport to consider the following points:
1) investment in local transport schemes must not be jeopardised by high speed rail; we demand that the rate of investment in local sustainable transport must be twice the one in high speed rail;
2) an alternative scenario with a 125mph or 200mph maximum speed must be considered, where more stress is put into providing comfort and wifi/broadband on board;
3) the impact on the London transport system, especially around Euston, must be mitigated by the funding of an accessible network of tramways, trolleybus, walking and cycling routes;
4) the impact on the electric load must be mitigated by harvesting renewable energy along the line, to the amount which is required to run the trains.