Yesterday's decision by the government to go give the green
light to HS2 was greeted as "a fantastic day for the West Midlands"
by business leaders in Birmingham but warned that the government
must introduce legislation to start the project this year.
Jerry Blackett, chief executive of Birmingham Chamber of
Commerce Group (BCCG), said HS2, part of a larger High Speed
Network, would create a fundamental change to the way people
travel.
He said: "This is a fantastic day for the West Midlands.
However, the imperative is to press ahead with all speed because
delay will simply stall the impetus that today's announcement has
given.
"The transport secretary Justine Greening has indicated that it
could be another two years before Parliament even votes on the
proposition. This must not been allowed to happen. Delay would be
damaging for the project and it would push it into the heart of an
election campaign.
"The national interest must come first and business in
Birmingham urges the government to press on with HS2 now so that it
does not become bogged down in unnecessary Parliamentary
procedures.
"The Government must look towards not only with pressing with
the London-Birmingham HS2 link but publishing a plan soon for the
route of the line north of Birmingham.
"HS2 will mean it will take just 39 minutes to travel from
London to Birmingham and will help erode the north south divide by
drawing investment and skilled workers away from the economic
stranglehold of the south east.
"With rail growing at six per cent a year, and with no sign of
abating, the Chamber applauds the Secretary of State for her
decision to back the only viable solution to this looming capacity
crunch.
"We have the Victorian's to thank for our current railway
network and it has served us well, but we are now well into the
21st Century and it's about time we left our mark on the UK's
railway network."
He added that HS2 has the potential to provide a huge to boost
the region's economy by creating jobs and making it easier for
businesses to access markets quickly and efficiently. In
backing HS2 today the Secretary of State will help create 22,000
jobs in the West Midlands and boost the regional economy by
£1.5 billion per annum.
HS2 forms part of a larger High Speed Network that will
eventually link the main cities of the UK to one another and
provide a fundamental change in the way people travel. The
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group and the business community in
general has been a vocal advocate of HS2. Indeed a survey of
Chamber members found that over 70 per cent of businesses in
Birmingham and Solihull support HS2.