HIGH SPEED RAIL (LONDON-WEST MIDLANDS) BILL

14 April 2016: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon moved that the Bill be read a second time Lord Faulkner of Worcester, speaking during the debate, concluded ....... High Speed 2 is not just a foundation stone for the national high-speed network, and for improving the links between our major cities, but it is also an essential device to overcome constraints on today’s network and allow the expansion of services at smaller towns and cities and create better pathways for freight. I believe that High Speed 2 is very much a project for our times. I congratulate the Minister on the way that he introduced the Bill, my noble friend Lord Rosser on the way that he responded, and all the other speakers in this debate. The fact that there is so much support in this House for this Bill is remarkable and perhaps mirrors the experience in the other place, where the Third Reading of the Bill received 90% of the vote with a huge majority. I am sure that the Bill will have the same support in this House. read contribution in full

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