Upgrades and ‘do nothing’ just aren’t options, says WSP’s Mark Naysmith.
In the 25 years I have worked in engineering consultancy I have watched the UK’s rail sector evolve. The £8.5bn HS1 Kent to St Pancras line led the way in revitalising rail transport in three key areas – capacity, the green agenda and connectivity. For these reasons, it was strongly backed both politically and by investors. However, as with any project that involves considerable time and money, there was opposition.
HS2 is the next step to continuing on this journey, but it is not simply a rail project and should not be judged as one. HS2 doomsayers have been heavy with their criticisms of the cost but have conveniently forgotten to look at the return on that investment. The development opportunities around new stations alone will be a major catalyst for regional growth.
With KPMG’s report this week indicating that HS2 could be worth £15bn a year to the UK economy, finally we have some acknowledgement of the wider benefits of the scheme, particularly for the regions. I hope the debate will now be more firmly based in the real issues – although good questions have been raised in recent weeks, including by the Public Accounts Committee, HS2 was approved by Cabinet on the basis of rail capacity and this case still stands.
In fact, the rail capacity problem in the UK is critical, not just for passengers but for freight as well. We need better connections between London and the other major hubs, particularly the north and the midlands, especially as our roads continue to clog up and our population grows.
Research WSP undertook earlier this year found HS2 could take 500,000 HGV lorry journeys off the M1, M40 and M6 motorways each year, leading to environmental benefits worth more than £45m a year and saving over 65,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.
Furthermore, no one has yet to come up with a realistic alternative that can serve the same purpose. Ploughing the money into existing lines has been examined but just isn’t justifiable, billions was already put into a somewhat limited upgrade in the 1990s. Doing nothing is clearly not an option if we want to remain competitive and progressive.
I do, however, agree that HS2 could be better linked to HS1 for domestic high-speed rail services, not just international, which would better serve London.
In the absence of another solution for this matrix of issues there is no doubt in my mind that HS2 will have widespread benefits for the UK. I’m not just saying that as part of an industry that is set to prosper from the project, I say that as the managing director of a geographically diverse company, with a background in transport planning – and as a regular commuter.
Mark Naysmith is managing director of multi-disciplinary consultant WSP in the UK
