A Northampton MP has urged the Government to “hurry up” the process of building the new High Speed Rail line to help the “long suffering passengers” in the town.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Conservative MP for Northampton South, Brian Binley, said HS2 was vital to the nation’s future economic well-being.
He said: “It has been stated categorically that capacity will be reached by 2026, although other people think that it will be reached earlier. “Today many people travelling on a London Midland train to London not only cannot get a seat, but can hardly get through the door.
“Freight is a major player in the whole of our rail network. It has grown sizeably, to the point where it is now delivering 90 million tonnes of goods each year.
“That rate is growing by more than ten per cent a year. We cannot accommodate that growth, which is why high-speed rail is so important, why it impacts upon the national interest and why it is massively important to Britain’s prosperity.
“High Speed 2 is It will improve rail connections between economically important parts of our country and with our markets in Europe and beyond.”
More than 20 Tory MPs, including south Northamptonshire MP Andrea Leadsom, have rebelled against Government plans to build a new high speed rail line linking London to the north of England as it emerged the project could cost more than £50 billion.
Mrs Leadsom questioned the cost-benefit analysis of the HS2 project, given the increased costs.
She said: “Could you explain what the £12.7 billion of contingency will do to the benefit-cost ratio (BCR), because certainly during the consultation period, it was always made clear the £32 billion was the absolute maximum and contained a vast sum for contingency?”
Speaking after the debate, Mr Binley said: “I am glad the House of Commons voted to support the next stages in the HS2 project. For rail users on the West Coast Main Line – particularly those long-suffering passengers from Northampton – this is a scheme which cannot arrive fast enough.
“A good number of commuters feel the line is already more than full when they travel, and the 2026 capacity crisis looms larger with every passing day. Not only do I wish HS2 good speed, I want the Government to get on with this vital infrastructure project: It will make a very big difference.”