{"id":626,"date":"2017-02-17T13:09:20","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T13:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediahouseinternational.com\/?p=626"},"modified":"2018-02-01T15:50:53","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T15:50:53","slug":"how-scotland-will-get-shafted-by-hs2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediahouseinternational.com\/how-scotland-will-get-shafted-by-hs2\/","title":{"rendered":"How Scotland will get shafted by HS2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Choochoo\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019m just a simple wee laddie from Glasgow and I don\u2019t have a degree in logic from Oxford or Cambridge but even someone with a two-figure IQ should be able to spot the financial, social and environmental disaster looming that is HS2.<\/p>\n

I can understand why ex-PM David Cameron backed the project to support his misguided Chancellor and his dream of a “Northern Powerhouse”.<\/p>\n

But why would Theresa May want to continue with this project, now estimated by many to eventually cost \u00a3200billion.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll say that again \u2013 \u00a3200 billion!<\/p>\n

Readers of our blog might find it useful to examine why Scotland is going to get a very raw deal from HS2<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"HSUK\"Following a meeting earlier this week with the brilliant railway engineers Quentin\u00a0Macdonald and Colin Elliff, the men behind the alternative scheme HSUK<\/strong><\/a>, I asked them to specifically examine where Scotland features on the HS2 plans.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what they have to say:<\/p>\n

HSUK ANALYSIS ON SCOTLAND<\/h2>\n

HS2 has been planned from the start with a “West Coast” route to Scotland, which would split in Clydesdale (near Carstairs) with separate branches to Edinburgh and Glasgow.\u00a0 This route would be an onward extension of HS2 Phase 1 (London\u2013Lichfield) and HS2 Phase 2A (Lichfield\u2013Crewe).<\/p>\n

A “West Coast” HS2 route to Scotland based upon HS2 Phases 1 and 2A is compromised by the following critical flaws:<\/p>\n