HS2 ‘will not help environment’

A Government plan to spend £34 billion building a railway line for a high-speed train service between Birmingham and London, named HS2, is a "massive gamble", a Commons committee has heard.

Joe Rukin, from campaign group Stop HS2, told MPs the railway would damage the environment and businesses.

He added that the project was not properly thought through and that sufficient money was not available for it.

The committee was told earlier by HS2 chief Alison Munro that the high-speed route would bring benefits to Birmingham, as well as London, but Mr Rukin insisted the line is much more likely to benefit London, adding that the railway would need to cut through some beautiful areas of southern England.

He said: "There is no business case, no environmental case and no money for HS2. The more we find out (about) the project, the worse it seems to be."

Both the Federation of Small Businesses and the CBI support HS2.

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