County Council Betrayal

Go to this link
http://derbyshire.gov.uk/…/information_events_about_hs2.asp…
and see that

Derbyshire County Council in this press release have let the cat out of the bag….they support the Blackwell Spur….but they have got it wrong:

We can only assume that they have not examined the proposals:

Chesterfield will not be served by High Speed…only trains which will run on High Speed and existing tracks at restricted speed.

Chesterfield will have no High Speed Train beyond Sheffield, and Chesterfield to Sheffield is on restricted speed tracks

Anyone from Chesterfield wanting to travel High Speed  to the Northern Powerhouse Cities will have to travel south to Toton, and change train to go north to Leeds. Wouldn’t it be easier to go to Meadowhall and go High Speed either north or south from there?

The trains capable of running on HS and existing tracks will be reduced capacity…only 550 passengers ..loading first at Sheffield to run south.

It is not even clear that the proposed HS2 train to Sheffield will stop at Chesterfield. The demand forecast even finds it difficult to justify Sheffield being supplied with HS2 trains.

With these facts how can council leader Anne Western believe that:

“Routing HS2 through Derbyshire with trains stopping at Chesterfield would boost the local economy, bring more jobs and provide opportunities for local businesses to expand.”

Which Chesterfield businessmen will choose to expand on the basis of a dead end line….more Pony Express than Polar Express.

DCC should be arguing for improvement to the existing network…..they should have been pressing for line  elecrification north of Chesterfield which has been on the books for the last 20 years.

Please email: anne.western@derbyshire.gov.uk On the DCC website she says:

 "I'm always keen to get feedback, good or bad, on county council related matters"

So let her have your feedback on this betrayal of Blackwell Parish