THE West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority and the Rail Delivery Group are proposing that HS2 should be linked to the existing railway in central Birmingham so that some trains could serve New Street station as well as the new Curzon terminal planned alongside Moor Street station. The suggestion has come at the same time as an independent think tank has concluded that high speed rail is a catalyst for economic regeneration.
A New Street link would mean that, after the second phase of HS2 is completed to Manchester and Leeds, cross country services to and from the South West of England and South Wales could make use of HS2 to reach destinations in the North West, North East and Scotland.
It would also mean that some ‘classic compatible’ HS2 trains from London could continue via New Street to Sandwell & Dudley and Wolverhampton – and even to Telford and Shrewsbury, if electrification is extended by 2026 – and also to Worcester if electrification is extended beyond Bromsgrove.
There would appear to be two opportunities to connect HS2 to Birmingham New Street – near Water Orton, or in the Washwood Heath/Saltley area. At both locations, the new railway is planned to run alongside the existing Derby-Birmingham tracks.
The idea of such a connection is disclosed in written evidence from the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority (WMITA) to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee, which is conducting an in-depth study into the economic case for HS2.
The WMITA document includes the following statement: “It should also be recognised that HS2 Phase 2 services will also offer a faster alternative to the Cross Country services on West Midlands to Manchester and West Midlands to East Midlands/Yorkshire/Newcastle/Scotland corridors.
“There could therefore be some advantage in combining some Cross Country services into the future HS2 franchise, especially if (as proposed by Centro/WMITA, the Rail Delivery Group and others) through 'classic compatible' HS2 services are to operate from the North of England to Bristol/Cardiff via a new connection between HS2 and the existing West Midlands rail network.”
More details may be given on 25 November when witnesses to be questioned by the Lords’ select committee will include Chris Tunstall, Director of West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority, and Jerry Blackett, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
Meanwhile, a report from an academic group the Independent Transport Commission has concluded that investment in high speed rail can help to 'increase the long-term capacity of the UK’s transport infrastructure and act as a catalyst for the economic regeneration of cities and regions'.
The Commission is a research charity and think tank. John Worthington, Independent Transport Commissioner and Chairman of the HSR working group whose report was published on 20 November, said: “Our research on the impacts of high-speed rail in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, has shown that, far from being a white elephant, there are very many examples where investment in HSR has been the catalyst for significant urban and regional renewal.
“This has happened when HSR has been properly integrated with the local transport network, when co-operation has been strong between all interest groups, and when cities have planned ahead and understood that regeneration is a long-term process.
"We hope that this report will act as a call-to-arms for the UK's cities and regions and will, through the lessons it contains, help them to grasp the opportunities that HSR investment offers.”