New rail line plan must include tunnels for protected landscapes

August 26 2009

Proposals for a new high speed line between London and Scotland must include funding for tunnels where the line would pass through protected landscapes, says CPRE.

The price tag of £34 billion only allows for 34 miles of tunnels out of 1,500 proposed miles of new track. Most of these would be for reaching stations in urban areas rather than protecting the countryside.

Ralph Smyth, CPRE's Senior Transport Campaigner, said:

"Bulldozing a new line straight through the Lake District National Park and Chiltern Hills would be both unacceptable and unrealistic. Network Rail seems to have ignored the need to protect our most valued landscapes in order to come up with a lower price tag. Allowance must be made for extensive tunnelling, as is normal for new lines in Germany. CPRE successfully campaigned for additional tunnels for the High Speed 1 line through the Kent countryside."

CPRE's Vision is for a significant increase in rail capacity, with an extended and upgraded rail network forming the low carbon backbone of a sustainable transport system.

Ralph Smyth continued:

"If we are serious about reducing carbon emissions we need to focus on moving more people out of cars and planes and in to trains, not generating new long distance commuting. Small rail schemes across the country must be given at least as much priority as a new high speed line."

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