Authoritative research

Getting involved

All our research and planning reports can be found on the Greengauge 21 website:

www.greengauge21.net

We welcome new public sector members to our hsr Public Interest Group, to work with us on developing the evidence base on high-speed rail.

Organisations in the transport, construction, finance and development sectors are invited to join our hsr Industry Leaders Group, which provides opportunities to contribute expertise, share knowledge and raise company profiles.

To contact Greengauge 21, e-mail:

co-ordinator@greengauge21.net

leading the debate on high-speed rail

08/2010

high-speed rail Fair and

Affordable

02/2010

high speed rail in britain

02/2010

high speed rail in britainConsequences for employment and economic growth

February 2011 glasgow

edinburgh

newcastle

tees valley

leeds

manchester

stanstedairport

heathrowairport

sheffield

nottingham

cambridge

london

bristol

liverpool

birmingham

derby

Europe

ECML

HS2

HS1

MM

L

GWML

Network planning

Greengauge 21 has developed a comprehensive national strategy for Britain’s hsr network. Our Fast Forward report sets out a long-term plan which was worked up in conjunction with our Public Interest Group of city councils, transport authorities, rail industry organisations. We demonstrated that this network would deliver £3.50 in benefits for every £1 invested. And we also assessed it could save one million tonnes of co2 a year.

Further new high-speed railways operating at speeds of over 300km/h.

Sections of route comprising upgraded/new lines operating at speeds of 200km/h+.

Sections of high-speed rail,existing or planned.

About Greengauge 21

Since 2006, Greengauge 21 has been carrying out research and developing evidence on high-speed rail. Greengauge 21, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, seeks to act in the national and the public interest.

As well as exploring questions of policy, Greengauge 21 has developed robust evidence-based plans:

» In 2007, when politicians were still unconvinced of the merits of hsr, we set out the case for High Speed Two, a new high-speed line between London and the West Midlands

» In 2009, we developed a national hsr strategy supported by cities and regions across Britain

» In 2011, we prepared a robust plan for ensuring that places on the existing railway receive spin-off benefits from hs2.

Since 2008, a large part of Greengauge 21’s work has been supported, funded and guided by the hsr Public Interest Group. This represents a wide range of interests: city councils, regional development agencies, transport authorities and national railway organisations and others.

The two Directors of Greengauge 21 are Jim Steer and Julie Mills.

Carbon emissions per passenger-km

hsr

Car

Air

2008

2.1 1.3

29.5

2040

105.3

38

4

59.8

51.4

119.6

2055

Source: atoc

The carbon emissions of travel by hsr are only one-third of those of car travel and one-quarter of those of travel by air.

A national hsr network could boost economic growth by over 2% – equivalent to one year’s additional growth in gdp.

High-speed rail

Greengauge 21 believes that all British regions and nations should ultimately be served by high-speed rail, and that there should be direct services to the centre of each of the eight English core cities, together with London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The current Government proposals for hs2 are an excellent start in achieving this.

The case for high-speed rail is compelling:

» Capacity – demand for rail travel is growing strongly. The motorway networks and South East airports are nearly full. hsr not only provides for more long-distance journeys but also frees up existing rail networks to cater for local/regional passengers and for additional freight on rail.

» Sustainability – hsr is an environmentally-sustainable and affordable solution to the country’s transport needs.

» Economy – hsr can boost economic development across the country, and prevent us from having to price passengers off crowded trains.

» Society – hsr provides a chance to end the north-south divide. Investing in better connections creates new opportunities for the cities of the Midlands, the North and Scotland, and potentially from Wales and the South West too.

High speed rail technology is well-proven and already operates in a number of countries across the world. The first high-speed train was the Shinkansen in Japan, which opened in 1964. France followed with its first tgv line in 1981. Other countries with high speed railways include Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Italy and China.

The UK’s first high speed railway, High Speed 1, linking London with the Channel Tunnel opened fully in November 2007. hs1 has attracted £10bn of private sector money for major regeneration projects. It has already returned £2bn to hm Treasury.

Travelling by high-speed rail needn’t be expensive, with average fares of £40–45.