Professional Engineering Magazine : Fast Forward

Return to:

Fast Forward

Development of more high-speed rail lines would bring much-needed economic and environmental benefits, writes Lee Hibbert

The fantastically gothic façade of St Pancras station in London masks an ultra-slick, modern business that is housed within. Ever since Eurostar relocated to the station at the end of last year upon completion of its high-speed link to the Channel Tunnel, its passenger numbers and profits have soared, while punctuality has risen to hitherto unseen levels.

Perhaps more importantly, the experience of travelling through the South East at speeds of up to 186mph has boosted perceptions of the railways as a whole.

For Richard Brown, the chief executive of Eurostar, the construction of the high-speed line has been an unqualified success. “No longer having to enter and leave the capital through the congested lines south of London has made a big impact on punctuality and reliability,” he says. “The high-speed link has also delivered a real ‘wow’ factor that goes beyond just the Eurostar business, thus enlivening people’s perceptions of rail travel across the board.”

Indeed, supporters of high-speed rail argue that its advantages can be measured in both environmental and economic terms. Statistics show that it provides a far less carbon-intensive alternative to flying and driving, and it could enable regional centres to exploit the economic strength of London and the South East. As the European high-speed network expands apace, there would seem to be significant public appetite for the construction of similar links in the UK. But at present the 110km of track between St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel remains Britain’s only true high-speed rail line.

As a result, Brown warns that, unless Britain gets its act together and starts planning now for future high-speed rail networks, it will be woefully left behind. “The case for high-speed rail cannot be ignored,” he says. “Virtually every other major European country has invested heavily in such lines. The French and Germans have thousands of kilometres of high-speed rail – why are we so different? We are falling behind the rest of the world and we need to start catching up.”

Historically, the blame for our resistance to the adoption of high-speed rail can be attributed to a lack of vision from successive governments, says Brown. Until recently, rail has been viewed by some politicians as a problematic drain on public resources. That has now changed: rail is frequently cited as the clean and green solution to our future transport needs, he says.

“I would argue that the case for high-speed rail is threefold,” says Brown. “Firstly, it is vital for regional economic development – we need to take the pressure off the South East by bringing the country closer together. France has proved how high-speed rail can drive the development of regional cities, with Lille being a good example of that.

“The second factor is climate change. High-speed rail is a much greener way of travelling than either driving or flying. And lastly, by going down the route of electrification, high-speed rail can be future-proofed in terms of its low-carbon nature. We would have a more secure transport network that doesn’t rely on one type of energy.”

Brown believes that, slowly but surely, the message is getting across. But with Britain’s roads carrying more traffic than ever before, and the rail network already struggling to meet capacity demands, there is a requirement for urgent action to be taken. In the first instance, he says, the heads of the railway industry need to sit down with the government and other stakeholders to decide what Britain’s high-speed rail network should look like in 30 years’ time. It’s a process, he says, that will require unity across the industry and a significant amount of planning.

“We’d like to think that Eurostar is a good model for a high-speed line in Britain,” he says. “It was very well designed and there has been no need for any major re-engineering. In our opinion, it’s a world-class piece of railway.” Now all we need, it seems, is a bit more of the same.

30 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS

Richard Brown (left) became chief executive of Eurostar in August 2002. He was previously commercial director of National Express Group, where he set up its UK trains division, which went on to become one of the largest passenger franchise operators. He has spent 30 years in the transport industry, and was a director of British Rail’s inter-city division before it underwent privatisation.

Brown will deliver the 96th Thomas Hawksley Memorial Lecture at the IMechE headquarters on Monday 8 December, where he will discuss the opportunities offered by high-speed rail. The lecture starts at 6pm and entrance is free to IMechE members.

www.profeng.com The home of Professional Engineering on the web

Professional Engineering

Related links and resources

Fast Forward

www.profeng.com The home of Professional Engineering on the web

Professional Engineering

Search our back issues

Related links and resources

Fast Forward