A new report has cast further doubt on the benefits of HS2.
The New Economics Foundation has said the project demand for the high speed rail line – which will cut through Lichfield and surrounding villages – has “likely been overstated”.
The controversial £33bn project is designed to link the Midlands and the North with London.
But critics have queued up to attack both the business case behind the project and the chosen route.
Now the New Economics Foundation think tank has questioned whether the money could be better spent elsewhere, suggesting a third of the budget would allow for an upgrade of existing lines.
“HS2 is the largest transport investment in the UK’s history,” researcher David Theiss told the BBC. “At the moment it amounts to a £33bn gamble.
“Our research shows the government is backing the wrong horse.
“Instead of pouring billions of pounds into a single line that will take 20 years to complete we should be spreading our bets on a wider range of transport investments that offer better value for money.”
Now the Stop HS2 campaign group is urging the government to re-assess the whether high speed rail is the best solution for the country.
“The clamour of concerns over the HS2 project keep getting louder and louder, but the only response we see from the majority of MPs is to stick their fingers in their ears and refuse to listen,” campaign coordinator Joe Rukin said.
“When there are so many independent analysts saying all the same things about HS2, that the case for it is flimsy at best for so many reasons, it is unbelievable that Government and MPs cannot take their job to be responsible with taxpayers money seriously.
“Independent reports after independent reports keep coming in which raise severe question marks over HS2 and the puerile way in which Government dismiss them is simply becoming tiresome. Every one of the stock arguments for HS2 has been knocked down and all they have left is to stamp their feet and say ‘I want my train set’.”
