Volterra supports HSR in the UK

The Transport Select Committee is currently taking evidence at the inquiry into High Speed Rail (HSR) in the UK. Volterra supports the development of an HSR network in the UK. With only 70 miles of high speed track, the UK lags behind countries such as Morocco with 422 miles and Saudi Arabia with 342. By 2025 Network Rail predicts that Japan, the first country to introduce HSR and with a similar geography to the UK, will have over 3,750 miles of track. International examples show us that HSR typically pays for itself through fares, quickly exceeds demand forecasts, delivers significant economic and regeneration benefits and reduces the demand for car and aviation trips.

The UK has historically underinvested in infrastructure – specifically transport – and it is vital that this is rectified if we are to continue to be globally competitive and to grow our way out of the recession. Volterra has long argued that cities are crucial to the UK’s economy, they are places where innovation and knowledge transfer can take place. We argued the concept of agglomeration in the context of Crossrail, this resulted in changes to the way transport investment is evaluated in the UK. Yet the evaluation methods still don’t capture everything, effectively assuming that the economy is a zero sum game – benefits in one place must be at the expense of somewhere else. The government’s case for HSR, even using the existing guidance along with conservative demand forecasts, still result in a strong case with a good return on the proposed investment. Investing in transport which can relieve capacity constraints on routes that are already creaking is crucial to maintaining the future competitiveness of the UK and its cities.

By Ellie Evans