High Speed Rail - Total journey time is what matters, says Nigel Rock
April 5, 2010 8:53 PM
Nigel Rock at public meeting to discuss High Speed Rail
Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Nigel Rock has supported a correspondent's view in the local press in favour of transport integration.
Nigel says: "We should be concentrating the journey as a whole, and yes, high speed rail can and should be part of that mix. But we need good accessibility from local stations where one can park a car or bike, or preferably connect by local bus. What people want is reduced total journey times on a clean, reliable, punctual, affordable railway system.
"Railways are the most environmentally form of transport and my own party is particularly committed to the improvement of the rail system to encourage people and freight to use rail instead of roads. However, in these proposals, the government have plumped for an extreme high speed version of the French TGV. This might be suited to a huge open country like France, but I would rather see something based on the German, Dutch or Swiss approach of interconnected services that serve communities rather than disrupt them.
"The concentration on glamorous very high-speed over real journey times is an issue. Travelling at 'up to' 250mph then to just wait for (unreliable) connections seems daft. Very high speeds consume more energy, require major civil engineering works and will create more noise nuisance. The route and nature of this mega High Speed Rail idea, involving elevated sections close to communities, requires local people to make sure their deep concerns are heard when the full consultation opens.
"As someone who has travelled extensively on the rail network in Europe, I have long had a dreamed of being able to board a train at a local station and get off in Paris, Brussels or Cologne, with minimal changes. This government proposal does not meet those aspirations."
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