Page 79 - 360.revista de alta velocidad Nº1

360.revista de alta velocidad
360.

In an age of cuts, high speed railways link is nonsense
Published on Tuesday 5 April 2011 From: Peter R. Hyde, Kendale View, Driffield

I REFER to the open letter hurtling around the country at professions who are struggling
regarding the proposed high speed 225mph will solve all our with mortgages. We were
rail link (Yorkshire Post, March problems. promised jobs on the Olympics
30). If everyone in West Yorkshire was site for instance, which is flooded
in such a hurry to get to London with East Europeans, as are many
Yes, it is clear that such a link why has yet another airline other projects in the London
would be beneficial, but to whom packed the job up? In fact, a area. Will 50 minutes less give
and at what cost? We are cutting more sensible idea would be to us our jobs back?
funding to the police, fire service, charter a couple of planes which This new rail link, if it goes
the NHS, local government and would do the job just as well. ahead, will, no doubt, treble or
a myriad of other very worthy On the same page as the above quadruple in cost. Publicly-funded
organisations and those people two articles, there is another projects always do. A few will
want to spend all that money to piece about redundancies in the make millions, the hard-pressed
save less than an hour on a Yorkshire Dales National Park. I taxpayer will foot the bill as
journey from Sheffield and know which one I would rather usual.
Birmingham to London. have my taxes spent on. If you are lucky enough to have
an income and travel to London
One argument they give is that From: Stephen English, Lawrence regularly on expenses, then get
it would free other trains for Street, York. up an hour earlier and stop
goods transport. This is a total COME on, hands up, how many moaning. These are hard times.
nonsense. Lorries took trade from of the 90 signatories on the front We cannot afford it – face up to
the railways because they were page stand to directly benefit it!
not quick enough and to change from the building of the high
that there would have to be speed rail link? From: John Wilson, Wilsons
many more billions spent on goods My wife and I are both Solicitors, New Road Side,
yards and handling facilities. unemployed. I am occasionally Horsforth, Leeds.
Don’t forget many rural lines no offered temporary work. I am it seems illogical and a little
longer exist so trains simply expected to turn up anywhere demeaning for Yorkshiremen to
cannot replace lorries. If business in the UK for 8am, in my own be calling for better links with
people are so keen to get there transport at my own expense. London. Surely Londoners should
quicker, then they should fly from Would it be too much to ask be calling for better links with
Robin Hood or Humberside these Government officials, Yorkshire? That makes far more
Airports. business leaders, lawyers and sense.
They could possibly make a case accountants to suffer another 50
for flights from those airports to minutes to Leeds and Sheffield,
the inner city airport in London. in the knowledge that they are
The whole idea is a nonsense in saving the nation billions for
this day and age of cuts. desperately needed funding in
other areas?
From: TE Marston, Cambridge Will 50 minutes for the privileged
Street, Otley. few make an impact on
I SEE that the fast rail link unemployment to the majority?
campaign is in the news again, I don’t think so. I am surrounded
the idea being that people by people of all trades and

360revista de alta velocidad/ número 1 • noviembre 2011 79