A REPORT from the pro-High Speed rail group Greengauge21 warns that the proposed link in London between HS1 and HS2 will not be enough to cope with the demand for domestic services, while the mayor of one east London borough has branded the single-track limitations of the suggested connection as 'absurd' and called for an urgent reappraisal.
Greengauge21 director Jim Steer said: "We have identified a substantial demand for domestic high-speed rail services over the proposed link connecting HS1 and HS2. The market from the North and Midlands addressed by HS2 to places in the HS1 catchment – East London, Essex and Kent – is important and nearly half the size of the market to/from central London.”
“Meeting this demand provides the core missing rationale for including the HS1–HS2 link in the Phase 1 scheme. Providing a link between HS1 and HS2 would provide a real alternative to much of the longer distance car travel around London on the M25. The report estimates that rail could increase its market share by up to 23 per cent for journeys between the catchments served by HS1 and HS2.”
Direct international services using the link with a London stop at Stratford International will also be attractive, Greengauge21 suggests, but the service frequencies will inevitably be lower than those from St Pancras.
Jim Steer added: “The important point is that such services will not have to bear the burden of the business case for the investment required."
The report, entitled 'Travel market demand and the HS1 – HS2 link', says there are a number of benefits to be gained from a higher capacity link, including a useful diversion of some cross-city journeys from congested central London, the provision of a 'viable alternative' to the M25 for many regional journeys and better access to international destinations from HS2 stations using Ebbsfleet International as the interchange.
Jim Steer explained: "A good frequency domestic service operating over the link could provide a good – if not perfect – option for travellers between the North, Midlands and the continent. Instead of an awkward gap in the journey between Euston and St Pancras, travellers would be able to make a transfer at the same station – the report proposes Ebbsfleet – where there is already a wide range of European services. On this basis, rail can be expected to capture 34 per cent of the available international travel market from the Midlands and North by 2033.”
The Greengauge view is supported by the mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales. He said: “Proposing a new high speed network that only connects to the Channel Tunnel rail link by a single track which is actually already in use seems absurd, particularly as Stratford International station remains woefully underused, despite millions of pounds spent on developing it.
"The case has already been made that the growth of areas in east London and Docklands, with their ever burgeoning population, should be better connected with other exciting urban centres across the national High Speed network. As Greengauge21’s timely report clearly demonstrates, a higher capacity link between HS2 and HS1 provides us with the unique opportunity to drive growth through connecting our regional economies. The evidence is clear and Government must act.”