Wednesday 1 February 2012
David Begg discusses case for HSR
On Thursday 19 January 2012, Professor David Begg inaugurated Nottingham Business School's Business Leaders' Lecture Series 2012 with a presentation entitled, Why it is Crucial for the East Midlands to be on the High Speed Rail Network. The notably topical but somewhat informal lecture addressed the case for a British High Speed Rail Network (HSR) and emphasised the case for HSR in relation to capacity rather than speed.
This is not the first time David has been involved with NTU and the Business School. In 2009 he led a round table on congestion charging at Nottingham Business School. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from NTU. David currently holds various positions in the transport industry including:
- non-executive board member at FirstGroup and BAA
- member of High Speed Rail Two external challenge group
- Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Commission
- Director of the Portobello Partnership and Director of the Campaign for High Speed Rail.
The lecture surmised the case for HS2. David said: "the project would transform the country's economic geography, bring key cities closer together, enable businesses to operate more productively, support employment growth and regeneration, provide a genuine alternative to domestic aviation, and create a platform for delivering long-term and sustainable economic growth and prosperity."
In more detailed terms, the lecture mentioned that the plans for Y network of HS2 would alleviate some of the strain on the congested UK transport network, which failed to lose any demand to the recent economic downturn. The plans for HS2 are the most significant changes to transport infrastructure since the building of the motorways, but provide a comprehensive transport strategy for the country where road and aviation do not. A focus was placed on capacity and connectivity rather than speed or travel times, as economic benefits generated from HS2 would come from fares. The plans also address the problems faced by West and East coast main lines, which are forecasted to be at full capacity within eight and ten years respectively. Arguments were also made in favour of the proposals in terms of bridging the North-South economic gap and bringing major cities closer together; the alternative being a new North-South line travelling at conventional speed but only providing one third of the benefits of HS2.
Strong feelings were generated both in favour and against the proposals after it was announced on 10 January 2012 by Justine Greening MP that the plans were to be embarked upon.
