HS2 will go ahead, says new transport secretary
Chris Grayling promises not to scrap high-speed rail project and says quick decision is needed on airport expansion
The new transport secretary has backed the high-speed HS2 rail project.
Chris Grayling promised not to scrap HS2, after questions were raised about the projects future under Theresa Mays new government.
Grayling emphasised that the line was as much about capacity as it was about speed, saying it would help ease congestion on overcrowded trains.
I have no plans to back away from the HS2 project, he told BBC Radio 4s The World This Weekend.
And the thing thats important for people to understand is that HS2 is not simply a speed project, its a capacity project. We have lines at the moment which have seen huge increases in the number of passengers, the amount of freight in recent years.
The west coast mainline, for example, is becoming really congested. Its limiting the capacity of services to places like Northampton and Milton Keynes.
He added: Of course it makes sense, if were going to build a new railway line, for it to be a fast railway line, to reduce travel times from north to south. Thats logical.
But actually we need a better transport system for the 21st century, and HS2 is part of increasing the capacity of our transport system.
Meanwhile, Grayling said he wanted to make a rapid decision on airport capacity. His predecessor Patrick McLoughlin warned that the timetable for a new runway set out by the Airports Commission might only be met if a decision on whether to back projects at Heathrow or Gatwick was taken by October.
In 2009 it was reported that Grayling, who is MP for Epsom and Ewell, Surrey, had privately voiced concerns over the Conservative partys then opposition to Heathrow expansion.
Mays constituency, Maidenhead, is near the Heathrow flight path and she has previously raised the issue of noise and the environmental impact of a third runway at the airport.
The Airports Commission published its final report in July last year stating that a new runway was needed by 2030 and recommending that Heathrows plan go ahead.
Grayling said: I am very clear that I want to move rapidly with a decision on what happens on airport capacity. It is a decision that will be taken collectively by the government.
We have a quasi-judicial role so Im not going to say today whether I prefer Gatwick or Heathrow
Im going to look at this very carefully in the coming weeks.
He added: What Ill be saying to the business community today is I think we need to take a rapid decision to provide certainty on whats going to happen and that will be my objective.
