10 May 2006

Questions were raised at ICE's "High-Speed Rail in the UK" all-day conference held on 8 May 2006 at RIBA, as to whether a high speed rail line going from South East England to Scotland would be on time and on budget and how it would be built if approved.   

Iain Coucher, Deputy Chief Executive at Network Rail, said in his keynote speech that for the high speed line to go ahead it would need a good business case as well as three characteristics:

• Have capacity for future generations at no extra cost
• Be based on trains travelling at 300km/hr in order to create a modal shift from air to rail and be environmentally sound
• Have stations at dedicated major urban conurbations

Other speakers said that transport should not be the main reason for building the line and that there should be more focus on regeneration, employment, environment and integration, although this may increase costs. 

It was highlighted that rail and air should also not work against each other but rather work together, especially in reducing air pollution. 

Speakers included members of the Expert Panel group, who contributed to ICE's High Speed Rail report launched in December last year, as well as other key members of the railway industry in the UK and abroad who talked on issues such as funding, technology, environmental impacts and international case studies from CTRL to those in Taiwan, Germany and France. 

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Following meetings with DfT, ICE is producing an independent technical report on high speed rail which will be launched later this year. 

Contact Details: Maya.shcherbakova@ice.org.uk