{"id":70622,"date":"2016-05-17T10:47:42","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T10:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=e0a94995c09c91545fff32b3ffe00b06"},"modified":"2016-05-17T10:47:42","modified_gmt":"2016-05-17T10:47:42","slug":"speech-high-speed-rail-and-connected-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=70622","title":{"rendered":"Speech: High speed rail and connected cities"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Opening remarks<\/h3>\n

Thank you for that introduction.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m delighted to be here this morning, and to be joined by my PPS<\/abbr> Stuart Andrew MP, a local MP who is well in touch with what is happening here in Leeds.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m delighted to be here today for the launch of the ITC<\/abbr> report this morning and I\u2019m grateful to Matthew, John and everyone at the ITC<\/abbr> who helped put it together.<\/p>\n

Cities and HS2<\/h3>\n

There is no doubt in my mind that major cities like Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield \u2013 now I\u2019ve got to be careful here because I don\u2019t want to miss anyone out \u2013 Liverpool, Newcastle are, without any doubt, where a lot of our country\u2019s wealth is generated.<\/p>\n

Where we see inward investment directed.<\/p>\n

And we want to see most jobs created.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s no surprise that Britain\u2019s journey over the past six years, from recession to recovery, has been driven by our city regions.<\/p>\n

Yet compared with the majority of major cities on the continent, ours have been suffering from a distinct disadvantage.<\/p>\n

While we continue to rely on an overcrowded Victorian railway network, western Europe worked out a long time ago that in our modern world the best way of carrying large numbers of passengers between cities \u2013 quickly, efficiently, comfortably and reliably \u2013 is high speed rail.<\/p>\n

But although we\u2019re late joining the high speed club, we do have one very important advantage: we can learn from the experience of others.<\/p>\n

From the design, construction and operation of their high speed railways, but also from the cities which host high speed stations, and their success in stimulating economic growth, so we can make HS2 the very best high speed railway in the world.<\/p>\n

Commitment to HS2<\/h3>\n

I know there have been various reports in the papers, about; whether HS2 is going ahead, whether it is going to Leeds and going to Manchester?<\/p>\n

I can tell you today that it is going to Leeds and it is going to Manchester. Because we are totally committed to the whole of the high speed network.<\/p>\n

Of course it\u2019s controversial. It\u2019s controversial in certain areas, which will have a train line going through where they wouldn\u2019t have had one before, perhaps with no station so they feel they\u2019re not going to get any direct advantage.<\/p>\n

I understand that, and I don\u2019t dismiss these concerns.<\/p>\n

But it is worth remembering, when the very first railway between London and Birmingham was put before parliament it was defeated in the House of Commons, because the canals were considered perfectly adequate.<\/p>\n

As has been said earlier on \u2013 and it\u2019s important to remember this \u2013 we\u2019re not talking about a railway for next year, we\u2019re talking about a railway for 20 years time.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got to get the planning, and we\u2019ve got to get the investment right. These projects do take time to actually implement.<\/p>\n

But I can tell you this: that if the government was considering planning a brand new motorway from the north to the south, it would also be incredibly controversial.<\/p>\n

There is no major infrastructure project which is not controversial at the time of construction.<\/p>\n

But there aren\u2019t any major infrastructure projects that I can think of, that once they are there, that people turn round and say: \u201cNo, you shouldn\u2019t have built it.\u201d<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m not dispelling some of the problems that there are.<\/p>\n

Of course we have to keep an eye on the costs. We\u2019ve had to keep an eye on the costs on Crossrail, or as we now call it the Elizabeth line. And HS2 is Crossrail\u2019s answer for the northern cities.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about addressing the balance between transport infrastructure investment between London and the north.<\/p>\n

There are those that think its unequal. Judith (Councillor Blake) might complain \u2013 in fact I\u2019ve heard her complain! \u2013 that there is not enough investment in some of our cities.<\/p>\n

I have some sympathy with that.<\/p>\n

But I would point out that some of the improvements we\u2019ve seen, for example at King\u2019s Cross Station and St Pancras Station, actually benefit northern cities too.<\/p>\n

These stations used to be places where you didn\u2019t want to spend a minute longer than you needed.<\/p>\n

Today both St Pancras and King\u2019s Cross are destinations in their own right. And if you arrive half an hour early for your train, you really don\u2019t mind.<\/p>\n

Listening and continually improving<\/h3>\n

The fact that we are now just a year away from construction means that the report being launched today is well-timed.<\/p>\n

Given the size of the project \u2013 the biggest infrastructure scheme in this country for generations \u2013 it\u2019s critical that we continue to develop and hone our plans.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the HS2 project has always been about listening to people\u2019s views, and continually improving.<\/p>\n

Since 2010, when we set out our plans for a new high speed railway HS2 has never stopped evolving. It\u2019s included: the biggest public consultation in government history; a massive programme of engagement with local communities; and of course, rigorous examination as the Bill passes through all its parliamentary stages.<\/p>\n

At every stage we have listened, learned, and adapted to make HS2 the very best it can be.<\/p>\n

\nITC<\/abbr> – guiding principles<\/h3>\n

And that process continues. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here today.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pleased the report reinforces the message that HS2 will not just improve transport and not just speed up journeys \u2013 it will also improve capacity too.<\/p>\n

I have to confess that being called HS2 can sometimes overshadow what it\u2019s also about.<\/p>\n

In 1992, 750 million people a year used our railways. Last year 1.7 billion people used our railways. Capacity on some of our networks is saturated.<\/p>\n

When people call for more local services, they don\u2019t seem to appreciate that once built, HS2 will give us that capacity.<\/p>\n

But it is also a catalyst for revitalising and regenerating our cities.<\/p>\n

I welcome the emphasis it puts on close engagement and collaboration, the importance of improving transport connectivity around HS2 stations, and the need to be responsive to change.<\/p>\n

And I echo the advice that cities with HS2 stations need to show leadership, so each of them grasps the unprecedented opportunities that this extraordinary project offers.<\/p>\n

These are the guiding principles of the ITC<\/abbr> report.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s good to know that many of them are already in evidence \u2013 particularly for Phase One of the scheme.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019re already doing<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve seen Birmingham set out ambitious regeneration plans around Curzon Station and the Old Oak Common and Midlands Growth Strategies have now been completed.<\/p>\n

Leeds, Manchester, East Midlands, Crewe, and Sheffield are also preparing for the construction of Phase Two.<\/p>\n

Just as government has been engaging and listening, so have HS2 cities; working closely with local businesses, local authorities, and local people.<\/p>\n

And where necessary adapting their programmes.<\/p>\n

Here in Leeds, a station redesign has delivered a much more integrated and successful result.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen blue chip companies for example choosing to move to HS2 cities.<\/p>\n

While HSBC has relocated its retail banking headquarters from London to Birmingham, and cited HS2 as a significant factor in its decision.<\/p>\n

For businesses, HS2 means they can access new markets, draw their employees from a much wider catchment area, and – perhaps for the first time – consider moving offices away from London.<\/p>\n

The benefits of working in cities like Leeds are self-evident: more affordable housing; a higher standard of living; quick access to beautiful countryside \u2013 whether it be Yorkshire or Derbyshire!<\/p>\n

In Doncaster and Birmingham, construction of our High Speed Rail training colleges has begun. Councils are saying that school leavers are already applying for places at the college.<\/p>\n

A recent article in the Financial Times reported how hotels in Crewe are already seeing an upturn in business, and quotes Cheshire East council saying that the difference HS2 is making to the town already is \u201ctangible\u201d.<\/p>\n

So the economic benefits of HS2 are clear, even before a single track is laid.<\/p>\n

European Lessons<\/h3>\n

So it\u2019s heartening that many aspects of the report reflect work that is under way here in the UK, but it also provides fresh insight that I\u2019m sure will be valuable to all our HS2 cities \u2013 particularly the detailed study of high speed on the Continent:<\/p>\n

How Bordeaux launched a competition to find the best way to build 50,000 homes in the region;<\/p>\n

How Utrecht collaborated and worked with residents;<\/p>\n

And how different European cities have sought to attract a new generation of young people to support regeneration around stations.<\/p>\n

I also know the report\u2019s illuminating analysis of each city region here in the UK will be of real value.<\/p>\n

Quite rightly it shows how each location faces distinct challenges.<\/p>\n

But also how HS2 cities can benefit by working together and sharing knowledge.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

But most of all it reinforces the message, that when HS2 construction begins \u2013 and that is next year, actual construction by the way.<\/p>\n

Sometimes people ask me when you will start work on HS2.<\/p>\n

Every time I go and see HS2 Ltd in their office and I see for myself there is a vast amount of work going on, a vast amount of expertise that\u2019s already being engaged, because a lot of the work is in the planning.<\/p>\n

But construction will begin next year.<\/p>\n

And we will be building something much bigger than a new railway. We\u2019ll be investing in our economic prosperity for the next half century and more.<\/p>\n

Now sometimes perhaps there\u2019s a feeling that everything has to be done on a 30 year basis.<\/p>\n

In that case the Jubilee line, when its BCR was 1, would never have been built.<\/p>\n

The Limehouse Link, which had a BCR of 0.47, but has been absolutely essential for the regeneration of The City, would never have been built.<\/p>\n

So sometimes BCRs are not the only thing we have to address when we\u2019re looking at such investments.<\/p>\n

We need to look at future capacities, for our northern cities, around the midlands, not just for the next 20 to 30 years but for the next 60, 70 or 100 years.<\/p>\n

So I very much welcome this report today, and I very much welcome this conference, in helping move forward the debate.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll read various things in the newspapers: some of them are accurate but some of them are completely inaccurate; most of the things I read are wholly inaccurate.<\/p>\n

Of course there will always be pressure to look at costs, and to make sure we\u2019re getting the best value for money \u2013 it would be insane not to do so.<\/p>\n

But it would also be insane not to say \u2018what is our transport system going to look like in 30, 40, 50 years time?\u2019 and to make sure our great cities have those same opportunities that London has, and make sure that young people look to those cities to base their lives on, and not to move away from them.<\/p>\n

Thank you very much indeed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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