As a writer who is passionate about slow travel, devoting books to the subject, I am often asked about HS2 – the proposed high-speed line to the north. Today the Paving Bill for the new railway went in front of Parliament. Although it gives authorisation for the new line, it does not guarantee that it will go ahead. There is too much political uncertainty on both sides of the next election. While I find the idea of the the biggest new rail project since the days of Brunel and Stevenson a stirring one (as must anyone who truly loves railways), I don’t feel it has so far been sold convincingly to the nation. And if its backers don’t show sufficient conviction, then what about the rest of us? A good example is in my own area of Camden, North London, where the link between HS1 and HS2 along an existing track promises to cause mayhem around the world-class tourist attraction, Camden Market. The local community would probably come round if the line went in a tunnel (like most other railways in the metropolis). But no one seems to offer a convincing explanation as to why it can’t be done. In such a way, opposition is stoked up and friends of the project are lost.
About The Author
Michael Williams
Michael Williams is the best-selling author of On the Slow Train, On the Slow Train Again, Steaming to Victory and The Trains Now Departed.