A suggested high-speed rail route through Whittington have been rejected, according to Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant
The chief engineer for the HS2 route has told MPs that an alternative route suggested by a resident has been dismissed as it fails on noise grounds and other criteria.
And Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant believes common sense has prevailed.
He explained:
“This route proposal has caused considerable alarm both to residents in Whittington and in Hopwas. It was unacceptable. If it had been adopted, it would have taken the railway to within a few metres of Whittington and I am glad that it has been rejected.
“I shall be meeting Prime Minister David Cameron this week to discuss my concerns regarding the engineering and route of HS2 and to discuss whether HS2 is needed at all. In particular, I shall ask why HS2 have still not considered the use of tilting trains which can operate at 400kph yet still travel round tight bends avoiding sensitive areas.
“Part of the problem is that HS2 have planned the route with straight lines and shallow bends for conventional high speed trains which cannot help but go close or through populated areas. The UK has over twice the population density of our neighbour France which uses non tilting trains. High speed tilting trains are currently being developed in Japan, a nation which also a high population compared to the size of country.
“The only excuse I have heard from HS2 so far is that ‘the tilting makes passengers sick’ which is the what I heard years ago about not using Pendolinos. I occasionally suffer from seasickness, but haven’t ever felt the need to throw up on a Virgin Pendolino. Yet.”
A decision on the original HS2 route which would cut through Boley Park and Streethay in Lichfield is set to be reached in the coming weeks.
