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Tom Edwards
Transport correspondent, London
HS2: a long way to go for affected Ealing residents
Many people in Ealing said they had not been consulted or given any information about the plans
Much of the focus on those against HS2 has so far been in the Chilterns.
In the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty there has been an extremely loud, well-organised, anti-campaign. There's also a well-run campaign in Ruislip. Both have been effective in getting tunnels under their areas.
But others still face their homes being demolished. And most of the 338 homes that will be knocked down are in the capital.
In Ealing, residents say they're being ignored by the government and don't know what's going to happen to their homes.
There are also now some interesting statistics including the fact the government has now bought 47 homes at a cost of £27m.
But there remain many concerns especially with regards to Euston.
Lukewarm mayor?
The London mayor's support for HS2 seems to be rather lukewarm at the moment.
A spokesperson for Boris Johnson said: "The mayor has made clear that his support for HS2 will depend on several factors including the need for greater capacity to be provided at Euston to handle the extra numbers of people that would be brought into the capital.
"The plans announced by the government at the start of the year were a step forward but there is much more to do. He has explicitly raised the need for more capacity at Euston with the transport secretary and will continue to work with the government and HS2 to ensure that issue is resolved."
No-one from the Department for Transport was available for interview but a spokesperson said: "London will be one of the big winners from HS2.
"It will deliver improved connectivity with our great northern cities, extra space on the existing lines for more commuter services, a completely re-vamped Euston Station, a brand new interchange station at Old Oak Common and some 20,000 jobs for Londoners."
What do you think?
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Comment number 1.
Stuart6th March 2012 - 17:51
I think its great that South Ruilsip have a tunnel but hs2 should be tunneled ALL the way through london including residential areas like Northolt and Perivale. Hundreds of people are facing losing their homes at worst and suffering from years of disruption during construction then noise when the trains start running. Boris said last year that the whole hs2 route through london should be tunneled!
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Comment number 2.
bazza0016th March 2012 - 18:00
Colossal waste of precious public finances. Funny how the Govt is allegedly skint but can find the mega bucks needed for sexy marquee projects like this. By 2025 internet connectivity should be so fast and reliable that there will be far less need to travel to meetings. Virtual conferences using skype and webcams is the future. Far better to spend the money on existing overcrowded commuter lines!
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Comment number 3.
ickenhamjohn6th March 2012 - 18:39
Residents in London are complaining that HS2 is ignoring them. We are not alone - HS2 is ignoring any criticism of their project from the media or pressure groups using reputable statistics and facts to identify the flaws in the HS2 project. Whereas MPs only listen to HS2/DfT and their exaggerated benefits of this scheme and are not listening to the case against HS2. It will all end in tears.
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Comment number 4.
dateman7th March 2012 - 1:57
Great project. Just get on and build it.
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Comment number 5.
Chris Neville-Smith7th March 2012 - 10:51
"Funny how the Govt is allegedly skint but can find the mega bucks needed for sexy marquee projects like this."
Ermm ... actually, it doesn't need to. Money won't start being spent until 2017, by which time the financial squeeze ought to be over.
If you want to free up money by scrapping expensive rail projects now, you'll have to axe Crossrail. Good luck selling that idea to Londoners.
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Comments 5 of 11