HS2: Why is this railway infrastructure project so important?
By Deborah Newton-Cook, Liberal Democrat Candidate for the East Midlands in the European Parliament elections.
Originally published by East Midlands Liberal Democrats
Well, we have heard much debate so far on the wisdom, or otherwise, of investing a minimum of £50bn over the next 30 years or so to build the HS2 line. I believe that the most important part of this project is the Y part, that is the line which will connect cities and communities in the East Midlands, with London, the North West and the Yorkshire and Humber region.
This will promote economic growth and jobs and particularly for train contractors near Derby, maintaining expertise in this sector in our East Midlands region.
You just have to see what our EU partners are doing.
A Spanish Liberal Democrat MEP has been following legislation on the development of an interconnected rail network across Europe. The 4thRail Package.
Currently more than 8 billion journeys a year are made by rail in Europe, and 10 % of goods are transported by rail freight whilst the sector is responsible for a turnover of EUR 73 billion, generating EUR 13 billion of revenue and supporting 800 000 jobs. Rail travel is essential both for consumer choice and sustainable growth if we are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 % and CO2 emissions by 60 % compared to 1990 levels.
But Europe currently has 11 000 national technical regulations detailing the operational procedures laid down by the 27 national authorities, which are very diverse in terms of structure, resources and staff training. Furthermore, there are huge discrepancies as regards procedures and vehicle certification creating huge unnecessary costs for manufacturers and delays in authorisations for new locomotives.
Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (PNV, Spain), rapporteur on the interoperability part of the legislative package, stressed that "Europe needs a more integrate, efficient and less polluting mobility system than we have today. It is vital for our competitiveness. We need to create a single space in which rail operators and manufacturers can provide better and cheaper services to passengers and companies. The interoperability directive is a step in this direction. It will simplify procedures, remove barriers and ease the emergence of cross-border services."
The Commission proposes to convert the European Railway Agency (ERA) into a one stop shop which would issue 'European vehicle passports' to certify the 'placing on the market', while the 'bringing into service' would be the responsibility of the operator. The proposal also provides additional transparency in accreditation procedures regulating conformity assessment bodies in order to align these with existing legislation on the marketing of products.
The European Railway Agency (ERA ) will acquire within the next four years the power to authorize all rail vehicles in Europe as well as authorise physical rail infrastructure under the TEN-T trans-European corridors and play a leading role in the definition and management of simplifying the regulatory morass that is preventing a more efficient and competitive development of the railway transport network in the European Union.
We, in East Midlands, need to be linked into this, too. And not just for passengers, but for freight, as it will bring environmental benefits as well as economic ones.
This package was adopted in the European Parliament at its Strasbourg plenary session in December 2013.
You just have to look at the numbers to see how important rail infrastructure is to the economy of the EU.
And the East Midlands should be able to share in this growth and prosperity.