HS2 gets Thumbs Up!

As you are all probably aware, I love railways. So you'll not be surprised to hear that I am delighted the government has given the proposal to build HS2 the green light. The building of a dedicated high speed railway from London to Manchester and Leeds will be the biggest transport civil engineering project for over a century and the first section, from London to Birmingham, might just be built in my lifetime - I hope!

Last year I sat and watched hours and hours of television on the Parliament Channel when they transmitted in full the hearings before the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee. Dozens of witnesses were called to give evidence - some in favour and some against the proposals. I was left in no doubt, as was the Committee, that the case for HS2 was overwhelming. An upgraded West Coast Main Line has no potential for dealing with the projected over capacity. The current scheme for adding an extra two coaches to the Pendelino fleet and extending the length of platforms is simply a 'sticking plaster' solution.

A new railway will provide the necessary intercity capacity and, much more importantly, will free up the existing network for a much improved local and regional network. I can see huge advantages for us in North Staffordshire. Local services can be vastly improved without having to worry about getting in the way of Mr Branson's precious intercity trains.

So well done, Mr Cameron. Stick to your guns and bring on HS2!