Transport - High Speed 2
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In January 2009, a new company was formed by the government - High Speed 2 to consider the case for new high speed rail services from London to Scotland. As a first stage the company was asked to develop a proposal for an entirely new line between London and the West Midlands, which would enable faster journeys to other destinations in the North of England and Scotland using both existing lines and a new high speed rail network.
Plans for the new high-speed rail network, featuring 250mph trains, were announced by the then Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, in March 2010.
The Government Paper recommended a new line between London and Birmingham with a future extension to northern England and Scotland and revealed that the route will directly affect the northeastern tip of Oxfordshire in Cherwell District. Approximately 6 km of the proposed new line passed through the parishes of Finmere, Mixbury, Newton Purcell and Godington. It also affected the extreme north of the county where the route will run through Northamptonshire close to Wardington, Prescote and Claydon.
The new route followed the old disused railway in Buckinghamshire which runs just south of Aylesbury, across the A41 near Waddesdon, and northwest up to the village of Calvert.
The new HS2 route continued northwest up to Brackley, cutting across the A4421 near Newton Purcell, and the A421 just west of Finmere, and then passing northeast of Brackley, along the line of the old Great Central Railway.
The line then continued northwest into Warwickshire, crossing the B4525 and the A361 near Chipping Warden.
On 15th September 2010, HS2 published a report to government refining the alignment of this route, identifying locations where it could reduce the environmental impact of the line through changes in the alignment. Consideration of changes to the recommended alignment were focussed on the route north from the Chilterns, in the vicinity of Brackley, to Lichfield.
The then Transport Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed on 20th December that the government broadly agreed with the chosen HS2 rail route. But he said 50% of the preferred route published in March 2010 had been amended.
One of the locations recommended for refinement was Brackley, a few miles northwest of the parish of Mixbury in Oxfordshire. HS2 propose to move the route eastwards away from Mixbury, so that it no longer follows the old disused railway line at that point, helping to minimise the noise and visual effects of HS2 for Mixbury.
HS2 Ltd was asked by the Government to hold a public consultation on the proposed route which was held in mid-2011. CPRE Oxfordshire responded to the consultation.
See: CPRE Oxfordshire Branch consultation response June 2011 - FINAL.pdf
The Government is expected to make its post-consultation decision on the route of HS2 in January 2012. Work on the new route is unlikely to start until 2017 at the earliest.
Find Out More
Below are a list of links to further information regarding this campaign: