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New name for HS2 competition

HS2 Ltd
HS2 needs a new name!

Railfuture supports HS2 as the only way to provide the significant additional north-south rail capacity needed to replace more polluting road and air travel, but HS2 gets a bad press in part because the ‘High Speed’ name gives the wrong impression. In reality, HS2 is about capacity. HS2 needs a new name . Image HS2 Ltd.

Our competition to find a new name which will capture the imagination of the public and win their support has closed. The entries will be judged by the Railfuture Board and winner will be announced in April - their prize will be a visit to the Vivarail factory where energy-efficient hybrid trains are being built.

Climate change is the biggest threat to our way of life, and transport is a major contributor to carbon emissions. The report ‘HS2 - towards a zero carbon future’ by Ralph Smyth, who led the engagement by Campaign to Protect Rural England on HS2, concludes that HS2 is the only way to provide the extra north-south rail capacity needed to achieve significant modal shift from more polluting road and air travel, so reducing CO2 emissions.

This vision can only be achieved if HS2 can attract people out of their cars. HS2 must be integrated far better into it, creating in effect a six track West Coast Main Line, linked into regional rail networks and with regional rail services to provide end-to-end journey connectivity. HS2 trains must be comfortable and reliable, and fares must be competitive with the car, so that it becomes the preferred mode of travel for everyone.

High Speed 2 Review explains Railfuture’s position on HS2 and the purpose of the HS2 Review commissioned by the government. We welcome the government decision to go ahead - see our press release for our reaction. The Notice to Proceed issued by the government, which gives approval for construction to start, means that HS2 really is happening. This is more significant than ministerial announcements in that contracts are signed or triggered as a result of it.