BCC: High-Speed Rail Is A Long-Term Investment
11th March 2010
The Government's plans for high-speed rail have been announced today by Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary. Commenting, David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
"Continued investment in Britain's transport infrastructure will underpin economic growth, support business in driving recovery and create jobs. That is why the BCC supports a comprehensive high-speed rail network that provides vital extra capacity and helps British companies compete on a global scale.
"With the public finances in such a poor state, the budget for this important project needs to be carefully considered. High-speed rail is a long-term investment but it cannot be built at the expense of the current rail network. There must now be a binding, cross-party political consensus to ensure that both HSR and upgrades to the existing rail system proceed over the next two decades."
Command paper - http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/commandpaper/
Lord Adonis will speak at the BCC's annual conference on Thursday 18 March - www.bcc-preparingforchange.co.uk
BCC released a report on high-speed rail in November 2009:
http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/zones/policy/press-releases_1/bcc-warns-parties-action-not-talk-is-needed-on-high-speed-rail.html
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