Activists plan a “national day of action” to protest against the expansion of the HS2 high-speed railway – as the Bill for the project is laid out in Parliament.
Organisations Stop HS2 North and HS2 Rebellion will be joined by other groups and individuals to raise awareness of the environmental and financial impact of phase 2 of the railway.
A Stop HS2 North spokesperson said nationwide action, events and solidarity protests will be held from midday along the line in Manchester, Birmingham, Buckinghamshire and London – with a particular focus on Birmingham and Manchester.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has called the introduction of the Bill as a “landmark moment.” But the protest groups spokesperson added: “The financial costs of HS2 are now out of control, having risen from an initial £37 billion in 2009, up to £98 billion last year.
“People are being faced with a choice between being able to ‘heat or eat’. Meanwhile, HS2 has a blank cheque to commit terrible and irreversible ecocide. This money ought to be used to properly fund our NHS, improve local transport links, help ordinary people with the rising cost of living, and to resolve our energy crisis.”
A spokesperson from HS2 Rebellion added that the railway will be an “unnecessary contributor to carbon emissions, which will shuttle a wealthy minority to new, purpose-built airport stations”.
The Bill to extend HS2 to Manchester – Phase 2b – will cut travel times by around 55 minutes for journeys between London and Manchester, and up to 45 minutes for trips between Birmingham and Manchester, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).
It will allow HS2 tracks to be installed and new stations and junctions to be constructed at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport. The line is expected to open between 2035 and 2040.
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