Sir John Redwood (Wokingham (Con): Does my hon. Friend agree that covid has completely changed likely travel patterns, and that the big commuting demand will be much reduced? So where is the argument for capacity, which HS2 was supposed to be about?
Mr Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con): I am grateful for my right hon. Friend’s intervention; he has read my mind—this is a point that I will come to shortly.
September 15, 2021
I would suggest that owing to the very reduced use of the passenger railway system which I believe is running at about two fifths of pre-pandemic level, that the continuation of the HS2 building programme is halted for now. If the amount of work done to date is irreversible, would it be possible to change the use of this new route to another North/ South roadway specifically for the use of goods transport therefore easing congestion on the already overloaded A1 and M1 and introduce a toll on the use of the road?
September 15, 2021
Forget the reference to covid. HS2 was a non starter from day one. EU vanity project backed by globalists.