Dear Editor,
With an all party consensus on the need for a High Speed Rail network between London and the West Midlands, now is a critical time for the region to make its mark both nationally and internationally.
As the economy starts picking up over the coming years, High Speed Rail affords us a real opportunity to secure our place as a globally competitive region, attracting business, stimulating tourism and improving our international competitiveness.
The West Midlands needs to ensure that it is at the heart of a national High Speed Rail network linking key city centres and airports across Britain.
Proposals for a High Speed Rail line will bring the region just 45 minutes from London and 38 minutes from Manchester with through services to Europe via High Speed 1 bringing Paris within three hours of Birmingham.
This will make the West Midlands a huge magnet for businesses, particularly those looking to escape from the limitations of the over-crowded South East, and will attract redevelopment, regeneration and new jobs, significantly boosting our economy.
High Speed Rail will also bring the opportunity to substantially improve our regional rail network which is seeing substantial growth and development, adding much needed capacity to local lines and complementing major projects like the New Street Gateway redevelopment and the region’s Rail Development Plan.
In addition, High Speed services will take pressure off the region’s transport system - particularly the road network - which is becoming increasingly over-crowded and suppressing our business efficiency and investment prospects while costing our economy over £2.2 billion a year.
We must ensure we get the most benefit possible from High Speed Rail in the West Midlands, which means it needs to be accessible to as many people as possible, and we must learn from the lessons in Europe where many cities have city centre terminals complemented by stations at their airports.
We believe this is also the best solution for the West Midlands, ensuring High Speed trains serve both the heart of Birmingham and the Airport and NEC.
A terminal station in the city centre will provide connections to our comprehensive bus, rail and Metro network, making it easy for everyone to use High Speed Rail, and offering seamless transfer on to public transport for people visiting the region with great access to our shops, tourist attractions, venues and businesses.
As there is a physical constraint in constructing a through station in Birmingham city centre, a through station at Birmingham International Airport will allow High Speed trains connect to the north of England and Scotland quickly and efficiently, further supporting a business case for the West Midlands to be at the centre of a national High Speed Rail network.
A rail hub by the airport and the NEC will also provide excellent links for air travellers and connect Birmingham International Airport to other key city airports, bringing more visitors to the region, enhancing our attractiveness for long haul flights and supporting the ongoing transformations at the NEC.
A High Speed Rail link will truly bring huge benefits to the region, and establish the West Midlands as “world-class”, connecting us to other key economic areas across the world at a time when we need to be on the front foot to ensure we come out in the best position possible from the current global economic situation.
That is why a High Speed Rail network which serves both the airport and our regional centre in the heart of Birmingham is a shared priority for the West Midlands, and why we are united in our commitment to ensuring it comes to the region as quickly as possible.
Mick Laverty
Advantage West Midlands
Stephen Hughes
Birmingham City Council
Paul Kehoe
Birmingham International Airport
Barrie Williams
Business Voice West Midlands
Geoff Inskip
Centro
Paul Thandi
NEC Group
Jerry Blackett
West Midlands Business Transport Group
Olwen Dutton
West Midlands Regional Assembly
