Love it or loathe it, the plans for HS2 – the high-speed rail link between the north and the south of England – are underway. It was a key Conservative election pledge and made its way into the recent Queen’s speech at the opening of Parliament.
Criticism of the plans is wide-ranging, from those who simply believe it’s an unnecessary waste of money, to the more local protests taking place against the land development required along almost of the proposed route.
Then there are those who believe the £70bn it’s expected to cost would be better spent elsewhere on the rail infrastructure, such as building cutting edge rail links between key northern cities.
As rail enthusiasts, it’s hard not to welcome such significant investment into the rail network and, regardless of which way you feel about the plans, it has the benefit of people offering opinions on, and taking part in passionate discussion about, the railways.
Whether it comes to pass or not, it has prompted vital debate about what people want to see from the railways.
If you have issues with HS2 – whether you support it or not – this is a great time to join the debate. If you live in a town that will benefit, or a neighbourhood that will be affected by it, or if you live too far from it to benefit at all, it’s worth giving your opinions.
There is far more information out there about HS2 than we could hope to summarise here – and if you’re interested in reading more about the issue, you can do so here.
As always, if you want rail tickets, you can buy them at market-leading prices from our homepage.
