HSR\\UK, a campaign coalition of Britain’s 11 leading cities has said the publication today of the HS2 Report and the Government’s High Speed Rail Command Paper was a welcome start to developing a high speed rail (HSR) network in the country.

The cross-party campaign, which is building political and community support for a high speed rail network across Britain welcomed the commitment to the first stage of such a network and the detail of the plans outlined in HS2.

Leaders from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield, stressed the need for cross-party consensus to ensure the momentum for creating a high-speed rail network is not dissipated.

The importance of high speed rail to our cities is widely supported – and today’s announcement underlines that.  The eleven cities, which generate more than a quarter of Britain’s wealth, pointed to the major economic benefits a high speed rail network will bring in terms of economic growth and employment, spreading prosperity throughout the country.  We are pleased to see that high speed rail going into the heart of cities is a key part of the plans.

The campaign pointed to the recent report from Greengauge 21, which showed that a high speed rail network could boost annual economic output in 2040 by between £17bn and £29bn and create between 25,000 and 42,000 additional jobs in Britain.

Cllr Sir Richard Leese, HSR\\UK campaign chair and leader of Manchester City council, welcomed the report saying:

“This is a historic first step towards a high speed rail network connecting all of our major city regions.  The HS2 report and the White Paper outlines a route in commendable detail – this is a proper blueprint, not just a line on the map.  It is also important that Government has recognised the potential for the future high speed network to be capable of being integrated with the existing rail network allowing trains to run beyond the new lines to more cities.

“We all recognise the key benefits high speed rail would bring: connectivity and economic development, an increase in rail capacity for both passengers and freight, and, of course, modal shift from domestic aviation to a much greener form of transport.

“We have put aside our party differences and regional rivalries to campaign together for a high speed network which links all of our city regions, as well as connecting with London and thus the rest of Europe.  This line must be the first part of such a network – the beginning, not a one-off.

“There are only 68 miles of high speed rail line in Britain, compared with 3,500 miles in mainland Europe.  We urgently need to redress this balance; today’s report is a good way to begin, but we must not delay any further.”