Birmingham leaders in row over high speed rail link
Coun Whitby has made his views clear in meetings with Transport Secretary Lord Adonis and George Osborne, the Conservative Shadow Chancellor.
Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency, has also told the Government inquiry that it favours running services directly into central Birmingham.
Coun Whitby said: “We need to learn the lessons of high-speed rail on the Continent, when in some cases they built hub stations well away from city centres and regretted it. Of course, we want people to be able to travel to the NEC and airport. We are open to all modes of transport for doing that.”
Birmingham Airport wants a fresh analysis of all the options and their potential impact on the region’s economy.
Spokesman John Morris said: “Let’s make sure that the jewel in the crown, which is what the NEC and airport are, is connected to high-speed rail.
Paul Thandi, chief executive of the NEC Group, said: “We should do the economic impact work and come to a conclusion based on that.”
The call has been backed by many of the region’s business organisations. Richard Brennan, chief executive of Birmingham Forward, which represents the city’s professional and financial sectors, said: “There are a lot of options and I think we need some debate. High speed would provide a way of getting to the NEC from Continental Europe.”
Creating a new rail line to the NEC and airport would be far less expensive than a new line into Birmingham city centre, which would need to run through built-up areas, he said.
