NEWS
Protest groups have warned they could bring legal action against the Government over its decision to approve HS2.
The HS2 Action Alliance is con- sidering seeking a judicial review over concerns with the environ- mental impact of the project.
The group is accusing the Gov- ernment of failing to comply with several legal requirements, and is supported by over 70 local groups. They are seeking evidence that the decision was flawed.
In a letter to the Transport Secre- tary Justine Greening, the Alliance suggested the Government had failed to comply with “the legally binding requirements of the Stra- tegic Environmental Assessment
(SEA) Regulations 2004 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010”.
Director of the Alliance, Thomas
Crane, said: “The DfT and HS2 Ltd have ridden roughshod over pub- lic opinion and many expert voices to ignore all viable alternatives in their desperation to promote HS2.
We are still hopeful that Justine Greening will see sense and halt a project which offers such limited benefit for so much environmental damage.”
However, a Department for Trans- port spokesperson said: “The line of route between London and the West Midlands has been continu- ally improved to mitigate the im- pact on those living near it and the environment.
“We believe we have struck the right balance between the reason- able concerns of people living on or near the line – who will be of- fered a package of compensation measures – the environment and the need to keep Britain moving.”
More on HS2 on p20.
Bombardier has confirmed it is keeping open its Derby manu- facturing plant and will continue to compete for tenders, including the £1bn Crossrail rolling stock contract.
This comes after 1,200 jobs were lost in a decision linked to the vic- tory of its rival Siemens in the fight to win the Thameslink contract, placing the future of the plant in doubt.
In a statement, Paul Roberts, president and chief country rep- resentative for Bombardier in the UK, said: “We made the decision to retain our design, engineering and manufacturing capability at our Derby manufacturing plant and will continue to compete for tenders for train manufacturing in the UK. In addition, we have made several changes to the sen- ior management team in the UK to provide stronger integration across all Bombardier’s operating divisions.
“Our UK Review considered sev- eral factors. The UK Government has signalled its strong commit- ment to rail with its national in- frastructure plans. Bombardier is keen to be part of this exciting
programme of rail revitalisation.
“In December, Bombardier Trans- portation UK won a competitive tender contract with Southern val- ued at £188m for the manufacture of 130 Electrostars.
“The DfT announced that the first feasibility stage of procurement for the eVoyager Cross Country project was complete and Bom- bardier would be asked to submit more detailed information in Q1 2012.
“Production of the Southern vehi- cles will commence in Derby later this year, eVoyager will allow us to retain our high calibre engineer- ing team and a worldwide centre
4 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 12
of excellence for Bombardier in Derby, in order to bid for future opportunities.
“Crossrail is a very important pro- ject for Bombardier and we have been encouraged by Government comments regarding procurement process, in which we hope to see: Financing of the Crossrail project considered separately from the train selection; Consideration of technical suitability of the rolling stock; Socio-economic consid- eration in the value for money as- sessment for the taxpayer.”
The current indication is that Bombardier will not get its wish, as the financing of the Crossrail rolling stock is likely to be ‘bun-
dled’ in with the manufacturing as was the case with Thameslink, de- spite concerns about this practice raised by MPs on the Transport Select Committee. However, the DfT has suggested that Crossrail stock will not necessarily be as similar to Thameslink as previous- ly suggested, potentially negating a big advantage for Siemens in the bidding.
A spokesman for the Derby & Der- byshire Rail Forum said: “Bom- bardier’s decision to retain its train manufacturing facility in Derby comes as a huge relief to the re- gion’s extensive supply chain, the employees of the business and their families.
“Whilst we welcome this news it is important that the company can bid for additional work to ensure that it has a future well beyond 2014. So we call upon the Depart- ment for Transport to look with renewed vigour at opportunities to provide much needed new roll- ing stock for Britain’s railways be- tween now and placing the order for a new Crossrail fleet. And in particular we hope that the well- developed proposal to add elec- tric vehicles to the Voyager fleet can be swiftly progressed.”
© Matt Buck
© HS2 Ltd
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