HS2 Ltd is urging British firms to bid for £10 billion worth of contracts to build the new north-south high-speed rail network, and almost 500 firms have so far signed up to attend its two supply chain conferences in October. This month’s 8 Questions looks at the momentum behind the controversial project. 470 readers responded
1. Do you support the construction of HS2?
Yes: 64%
No: 25%
Don't know: 11%
While HS2 has proven to be a controversial project, with many negative headlines in the national press, almost two-thirds of our readers still support the construction of the new north-south link. Many respondents said they had seen the benefits of high-speed rail while travelling or working abroad, and thought Britain must follow suit.
2. Do you think HS2, as its currently planned, will ever get built?
Yes: 56%
No: 23%
Don't know: 21%
While support for HS2 has held up, belief in whether it will actually get built is starting to erode. That’s because readers are worried that stories of spiralling costs will spook politicians into cancelling it in the run up to an election.
3. If construction does begin, do you think HS2 will provide a valuable boost to UK engineering firms?
Yes: 82%
No: 11%
Don't know: 7%
A strong Yes vote here, with respondents believing that HS2 will benefit engineering firms across the supply chain. Readers felt that government needed to guarantee that a percentage of supply contracts would go to British companies.
4. Would you prefer the state, rather than a private company, to run HS2 services?
Yes: 49%
No: 37%
Don't know: 14%
Had this question been asked a couple of years ago, the Yes answer would have probably been a lot lower. But readers seem to be angered by what they see as the profiteering of private sector rail companies, with high ticket prices being a huge bone of contention. Others noted that rail services on the East Coast main line had seemed to improve under state ownership, and had even delivered a profit. Many No voters said that there was often a rose-tinted view of public railway services. All they could remember of the 1970s were shabby trains, poor punctuality and shocking quality food, it was said.
5. Have you ever travelled by train out of St Pancras International and through
the Channel Tunnel on a high-speed link?
Yes: 44%
No: 56%
Don't know: 0%
So just how many readers have actually used the one high-speed rail service that the UK does have? Fewer than half, the replies revealed. Many northern-based readers who hadn’t used Eurostar said it was too much of a hassle due to poor connection to the West Coast main line rail network. It was easier to fly to Europe from cities like Manchester, it was said.
6. When you do travel longer distances by rail, would you describe it as an enjoyable experience?
Yes: 71%
No: 23%
Don't know: 6%
The high Yes vote here reveals that most readers have an affection for rail travel. There is something romantic about going places by train, it was noted, more than a few times. Rail travel offers glimpses of countryside that you can’t see via any other form of transport, others added. And several readers said rail travel offered the chance to get work done, or merely an opportunity to sit back and enjoy a quiet period of reflection. The No voters were more cynical, with many saying that other passengers ruined any enjoyment.
7. Do you broadly support increased government spending on new high-speed rail?
Yes: 78%
No: 18%
Don't know: 4%
So all things considered, do readers think that the government should commit more resources to high-speed rail? The answer was an over-whelming Yes. Rail was seen as a sustainable transport solution, being much cleaner than travelling by road. But costs were an issue, and more thought needed to be given to ensuring truly integrated rail solutions.
8. Do you hope that an effective high-speed rail network will one day kill off the need for domestic flights?
Yes: 56%
No: 33%
Don't know: 11%
More of a split vote here, but most readers do hope that high-speed rail eventually kills off domestic aviation. Many readers said that in a relatively small country, it was crazy that some people still chose to fly.
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