This week Lancaster & District Chamber of Commerce attended a meeting with the top stakeholders in the area regarding lobbying for Lancaster to be included as a stop on the HS2 route north. HS2 is more than just fast connectivity to London, it’s about
freeing up capacity on the current lines. Without an increase in capacity our current trains will become increasingly overcrowded.
At present there are two proposal being considered. One with Preston as the only Lancashire stop and the other with Preston and Lancaster as the two Lancashire stops. We believe that it is vitally important that Lancaster is included as the second stop on HS2’s route. The alternative is that people will shuttle up from Preston. This is a worse alternative than the current arrangement of Lancaster being a stop on the existing West Coast line.
An HS2 stop at Lancaster would guarantee our position as a pre-eminent education, commercial and touristic district. It will
open up new opportunities for Lancaster to operate as the gateway to the north, and around Morecambe Bay. However,
according to a report by KPMG, a city without an HS2 stop would most likely see a large drop in GDP. As it stands Lancaster is
the only city to see a negative effect from HS2 if we don’t get listed as a stop. As part of our commitment to seeing Lancaster as an HS2 stop, The Chamber, in conjunction with other leading stakeholders, is preparing a submission to the responsible parties
for deciding HS2 routing.
As part of this we have prepared a very short survey for you. It also asks for comments as to why you would or would not support a stop at Lancaster. Please list your reasons. Comments supporting an HS2 stop are vitally important. Please bear in mind, this survey is not about whether HS2 should go ahead or not. It’s about if HS2 goes ahead then it is important we have a Lancaster HS2 station.
