The 400-page hybrid bill - with an extra 50,000 page environmental statement - for first part of the HS2 rail plan was published last week. The hybrid bill, effectively the planning application for the scheme, will give the government the powers to construct and operate the railway.
It will also give those affected by the proposed line the opportunity to petition parliament, both for and against the proposals, and have their case heard by a committee of MPs.
Arnab Dutt, managing director of British manufacturer Texane and a public member of Network Rail, believes that the industry should get behind the project.
“It’s fair to say that I’m more up to speed on the investment programme than the average rail traveller, but if you ask anyone on a train today what they think of the rail network in Britain, you should expect to hear some ill-informed nonsense,” he says.
“People know about HS2 but instead of admiration and excitement, the project mainly attracts negativity from sceptics, who can’t believe Britain can do anything on this scale.
“There are important benefits for the economy, and major projects to increase capacity lead to demand for more materials and support services, and create jobs.”
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