HS2 - Euston is the wrong station

Following the article in yesterday's Daily Telegraph Daniel Moylan, Deputy Chairman of Transport for London, has written to the paper. Mr Moylan states, "The business case for HS2 depends on it being continued to Manchester and Leeds. At that point, the increased capacity and faster journey times will lead to a much larger increase in passengers arriving at Euston from the Midlands and the North, while many from Scotland, the North East and Yorkshire who currently arrive at King's Cross will be diverted on to high-speed lines into Euston. Many of these passengers are likely then to want to use the the already crowded Victoria line southbound and the Northern line Bank branch services. London underground estimates the pressure will be such as to require Euston Underground station to be closed at peak times, nulifying the the time savings acheved by the high speed link. Hence, it is TfL and the Mayor's view that a commitment  to a new Underground line serving Euston needs to be built into the Government plans from the outset.

A spokesperson for 51m commented, "What the Transport Select Committee referred to as the 'London End' of the project, calls into question the feasibility of the entire scheme. The Department for Transport can no longer fudge such a fundamental issue. We know the HS2 business case is fundamentally flawed. Mr Moylan's letter is another body blow. Once the additonal infrastructure costs relating to dealing with increased passenger numbers at Euston the viability of the scheme in terms of its benefit cost ratio falls apart. The Transport Secretary must call a halt now and address these crucial matters comprehensively, as the Select Committee called for in its report."