Martin Tett, chairman of 51m, the group of 18 local councils challenging the Government's proposal to build HS2, a £32 billion rail project, responded with astonishment at Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond's comment to Tuesday's Transport Select Committee that railways had become a 'rich man's toy' and some fares were 'eye-wateringly expensive'.
Mr Hammond's comments came at the final session of Transport Select Committee, which was taking oral evidence on High Speed Rail 2. He admitted that the new route would benefit the same group of more affluent passengers who could afford the fares on the West Coast Mainline.
Asked whether HS2 could be made more affordable he replied: "Uncomfortable fact number one is that the railway is already relatively a rich man's toy. People who use the railway on average have significantly higher income - simple fact."
51m’s Chairman, Martin Tett,Leader of Buckinghamshire County Council, said: “The attitude revealed by the Transport Secretary’s choice of words are deeply worrying. Uncomfortable fact number one is that this astronomically expensive project is coming off the rails. Mr Hammond's comments show there is a complete lack of reality as to what High Speed 2 is meant to be achieving. In the midst of aims about redressing economic imbalances we now we have a £32 billion rail service the majority of the public will never be able to afford to travel on. Over a 60 year project life for HS2, these more affluent users will only pay 60% of the cost - the rest will be picked up by ordinary taxpayers, including those on middle and low incomes who are bearing the brunt of the current recession.
MPs yesterday raised some fundamental issues about the scheme and didn’t really get any assurances that there was a coherent business case supporting it. By contrast what did emerge was an inflexible determination to hang onto to high speed when the key issue is about getting more capacity on the rail network. 51m has clearly shown that the additional capacity required can be provided far more quickly and cheaply by upgrading the existing rail line, leaving money available to improve road and rail infrastructure across the whole country.”
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