Conflict is a state of discord or disagreement cause by the actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests between people. An example of a local conflict is .. HS2 built when originally proposed.. many against clear that not everyone will be satisfied with whatever outcome.
Why its being built and a bit about it
HS2 is a proposed new railway line linking London Euston to Birmingham, and in the second phase – Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and eventually Scotland.
Supporters of high speed rail argue it is necessary to meet the UK’s rapidly growing demand for travel. High speed rail will provide the greenest, safest and most efficient form of transport. The investment will provide a major boost to business and the economy; the faster rail links will help reduce the north-south divide, and overcome the externalities of car use.
Opponents of high speed rail argue that it is primarily an unnecessary project that can’t be justified given the huge cost involved; critics argue that there are much more pressing priorities such as small scale road and rail projects which help to deal with smaller bottlenecks. Also opponents are often motivated by the impact of the new railway on the environment.
Pros of High Speed Rail
1. Road system is becoming crowded with limited ability to keep increasing capacity. Offering high speed rail, will encourage more people to travel by train relieving gridlock in city centres. Therefore, it is not just rail travellers who will benefit, but those who gain from lower congestion on the roads.
2. Investment will provide jobs for those involved in building and running the new HS2
3. Journey times from London to Birmingham will be less than one hour. There will also be quick rail links to Manchester and Leeds.
4. Despite objections, HS1 has proved successful. Demand for HS1 rail travel to continent has proved to meet expectations; this has enabled more people to easily travel to the continent.
5. The £17bn will be spread out over 15-20 years, therefore we can afford it.
6. The £1- £2bn annual capital investment will help create jobs, stimulate economic activity and give a decent rate of return.
7. Take travel away from short distance air-travel, leaving lower carbon footprint.
8. Environmental impact will be mitigated by ‘green tunnels’ and planting of trees.
9. Empirical results show that increased train frequency can have significant external benefits in terms of lower pollution, fewer road accidents and drops in infant mortality.Figure 1. The environmental benefits of railroads: Effect of 10% increase in rail frequency
Source: VOX – Can railways curb traffic externalities?
10. Trains have a better safety record than the roads. Passenger death rates (2008)
Cons of HS2
There are other alternatives such as increasing train length on existing routes.
HS2 may only benefit a small section of the population who use trains between major cities.
Benefits of improved speed is debatable given that many people can now work on laptops away from