The new year has begun much as the old one ended, with HS2 again hitting the headlines and becoming a hot topic in the press and on social media.
A decision on the Oakervee report over the project’s future is imminent, and debate over whether HS2 should be built or not has been re-ignited following Lord Berkeley’s critical report. The Government is aiming to remove diesel trains from the network by 2040, but is being pressed to achieve that transition earlier. Whether it is road, rail or air, Government policies on emissions are somewhat disjointed, particularly in the light of cancelling electrification schemes, which although costly, would have a far greater future benefit as well as a long-term impact on emission reductions.
Neither is the playing field level when it comes to motoring. Successive Chancellors of the Exchequer have frozen fuel duty and not passed on inflationary rises since 2013, yet rail passengers have endured a are rise of almost 20% in the same period. Fair?
