High speed rail
Despite HS2 focusing on bolstering our domestic rail service,Thomas Drexler points out that its operations will affect other European-wide operators in the long run, and they will be keeping an eye on its development
‘E
ngland is just a small island. Its roads and houses are small.’ This quote from Mitt Romney’s book No Apology may raise a wry
smile. But the technical inaccuracies of his declaration aside (England being just a part of the island that is Great Britain), the statement raises an interesting question. Just how geographically segregated are we in the UK, and how has high-speed rail helped to overcome our ‘island’ status?
I suspect that the traditional view of us as an island is undermined by the extensive transport links we now enjoy, ones which connect us seamlessly to both Europe, and the rest of the world. Rail travel (high-speed services specifically) has played a vital role in helping the UK become so well connected, and will continue to be pivotal in the future. According to Amadeus’ The Rail
Journey to 2020 study, it’s expected that the UK will see 93 million high-speed, long-distance rail passengers in 2020. This is a significant number, and highlights just how competitive and important a transport option high-speed rail has become. Journey times are telling: a high- speed rail trip from London to Lille takes 1 hour 20 minutes. Compare this to a train ride from London to Manchester, which takes just over two hours. With the creation of these high-speed rail links, the fact we’re physically surrounded by water is rendered almost irrelevant.
More to offer the business traveller The virtues of high-speed rail have been proven, and help to ensure it will be a staple for both domestic and cross-border travel moving forwards. Perhaps most strikingly, it’s attracted a new passenger base for itself: that of the business traveller.
Previously, a traveller might have considered rail for shorter journeys, and airlines for longer distances. High- speed rail has completely changed this perception by offering a mode of transport which covers the same distance as an airline, but with added benefits. For the business traveller, high-speed rail travel arguably offers a far more conducive environment in which to
work, with internet, electricity points, and perhaps most importantly, space. It’s worth remembering that a high-speed rail journey experience is more akin to travelling business class with a network airline, rather than with a low-cost airline, which tends to service short-haul routes. Add to this the fact that train stations are located within the heart of a city, and the need for further connections such as a taxi or bus are minimised.
European high speed invigorating rail Statistics highlight the evident appetite for high-speed rail across Europe, and within the UK more specifically. Amadeus notes that by 2020, more than 5000km of new high-speed lines will have been laid within Europe. Within the UK in 2011, there were 53 million high-speed rail passengers, a figure which accounts for about a third of all long-distance rail travel in the UK. The expansion of
For these reasons, high-speed rail is a highly attractive option, particularly for business customers otherwise faced with the prospect of a short-haul, cramped, economy flight.
The sheer fact that high-speed rail links exist between the UK and other European countries is important; it opens up a new range of options, and makes travel to Europe more accessible. Rail travel will therefore become a way of life; you arrange a meeting, make an appointment, pick a holiday destination and rail will fulfil that goal.
the high-speed network across Europe has breathed new life into rail transport in terms of competitiveness. Prior to Eurostar’s launch of its London-Paris service, London-Paris was one of the busiest air routes in the world. Since the completion of the high-speed line, the percentage of air travel between the two capitals has dropped to less than 20 per cent. A similar pattern became evident on the Madrid-Barcelona airline route soon after the high-speed rail service opened in 2007. Certainly among travellers, the desire for efficient, high-speed rail travel
June 2013 Page 73
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