Chamber boss backs high-speed rail plan

OLDHAM Chamber’s president is calling on locals to back plans for high-speed rail links.

Consultation on plans for High Speed Rail 2 (HS2), linking Manchester, Birmingham and London ends on July 29, with a final decision by the end of the year.

The line to Leeds and Manchester would be ready by, by the early 2030s. This would allow at least 14 additional services to the North-West every hour, on longer trains carrying up to 1,100 passengers.

Craig Dean, who runs international business Web Applications in Lees Road, said the plans were a “massive boost” for Oldham and for Greater Manchester, and urged people to voice their support in the consultation.

His call comes as John Tomaney, professor of regional development at Newcastle University, contradicted the view that a high-speed line would bring investment to the region.

He said evidence from abroad suggested investment and jobs would be sucked from “peripheral regions” to a “dominant capital” by 250mph trains.

The academic said the benefits would go to the capital and described Prime Minister David Cameron’s claims about closing the north-south divide as fairly weak.

He added that the trains would be used by affluent people, and claimed the proposal “did not meet the needs of the poor.”

However, Mr Dean said: “The commuter trains from Manchester to London are always packed, you can rarely get a seat. And they’re full of all kinds of people, grannies visiting their grandkids, students going back to uni. To say the trains would only be used by affluent people is ridiculous.

“Running the HS2 will enable us to get more cars off the roads and more freight off the roads, which in turn will free up existing track for commuter services.

“High-speed rail will make the general time to get to London about 40 minutes less — you could be there in under two hours. I went to Birmingham the other day by car and the cost of the tolls alone was £20.”

He added that the train is a great option for local businesses who need to go to London for meetings but don’t want to live there.

He added: “People can live here with cheaper rents, cheaper rates and faster broadband. If people don’t say something now, they won’t get the opportunity again.”

l The leader of Greater Manchester’s transport authority, Councillor Andrew Fender, is writing to North-West council leaders urging them to support HS2.

Councillor Fender, chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build for our future and we don’t want to miss it.”

To voice your opinions, visit the website at www.campaignforHSR.com