White Elephant

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Some of the trains would be 400m (1,300 ft) long, with so many of the 1100 seats

There is "overwhelming evidence" that the costs of HS2 are "out of control" and its benefits exaggerated, the Vice-Chairman, said his review panel.

Lord Berkeley said the high-speed rail line, linking London and the North of England, it is likely that the cost of more than £108bn.

A vocal critic of HS2, the Labour peer said he believed MPs had been "mistaken" about The Price rate of £55bn in 2015.

He published a "dissenting report" on The Project , but the Government said it represents his personal view.

a coalition of Northern political leaders and businesses has also declined, Mr. Berkeley ' s criticism of The Project .

"We need to be delivered, HS2 and the Northern engine house Track, completely", said the leader of Manchester City Council Sir Richard Leese, part of the compound of the England campaign.

the trains are to start, as the run on HS2 between London and Birmingham in the year 2029.

But, Lord Berkeley, there is little prospect of that before the year 2031 and warns of high-speed trains will not reach Manchester and Leeds until 2040.

He told the BBC that the money for the improvement of train services in the North of England was far more important.

"That is where the really poor quality of rail transport," Lord Berkeley said, adding that a full update "could be made probably for half of the cost of HS2".

Lord Berkeley was The Deputy Chairman of The Independent Oakervee assessment in HS2, Set Up by the Government .

But, he has withdrawn his support of the review, which is expected in the coming months.

he says that he will be released not version agree with a draft of their official report, and as a result has its own version.

'Undue Influence '

he said he and the other members of the panel ends were prevented from contributing to the Final Draft of the Government -commissioned report, the evaluation was "effective" on December 31. October.

He also said that the official report was "unduly influenced" by HS2 promoters, and said that both HS2 Ltd and the Ministry of transport, in cooperation with the criticism are correct, and that your statements about the costs and benefits.

HS2 Ltd disputes this claim, saying it "full cooperation" with the issue.

The Report comes to the conclusion that the Minister will either accept the higher cost for The Line , or only build part of the proposed high-speed rail network.

This option, which would save the Government 50 billion pounds, as the modernization of the existing rail network of the Railways in The Midlands and the North of England, he said.

"The goal must be that these areas up to the same standard of commuter service for The South and East, while at the same time, the improvement of the existing lines from London to the North," Lord Berkeley said in The Report .

He dismissed suggestions that the increased costs were due to delays in The Project , says oversized the BBC on Sunday: "The actual cause [HS2]. You don't need to go 400kph in a small country like ours. The higher the speed makes a Big Difference to the cost. "

He added: "people want a reliable, frequent service, you can get a seat. "

Anti-HS2 campaigners welcomed The Report . "The case for HS2, always poor, and is only getting worse and worse," said Penny Gaines, chair of Stop HS2. "It is time for this White Elephant that will be completed a project as quickly as possible. "

And Greenpeace, said that if the Government is serious about Climate Change , then it must listen to the HS2 critics. "The protection of old forests to development is a priority for the rail," said John Sauven , executive director of Greenpeace UK.

'Value for money'

However, HS2 Ltd, The Company responsible for the Construction of the new plant, says the economic case is strong and he is determined to deliver rail is good value for money.

A spokesman said the high-speed line was "critical" for the UK's future low-carbon transport network, increased the capacity on the rail and was "integral" for the improvement of rail transport in The Midlands and in the North of England.

this view was supported by Sir Richard, who helps run the connection-Britain-campaign. "After decades of insufficient investment in strategic infrastructure on the rail, this is a once-in-a-generation, the possibility of Transformation, capacity and connectivity, and level-up communities across the North and beyond. "

And he added: "We don't need to appreciate us a lot, told know the story of the peer who shares his time between London and Cornwall, what the North wants. "

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "the Government commissioned to advise the Oakervee, to give, whether you score with HS2, with an independent Jury and represents a number of the face. Lord Berkeley, The Report represents his personal view. "

with the Construction of the HS2 high-speed Rail Link began in Euston Asked in London

if the Government still committed to building HS2, the foreign Minister, Dominic Raab , Sky Ridge On Sunday programme: "Yes, the Prime Minister has made clear, and we have a review underway.

"We want to look, The Best way to get value for money in respect of that significant investment.

"We also want to ensure that we will have The Best benefit in terms of the connectivity - not only in The South , but also in relation to The East -, west -, in the Northern Region . "

the members of the review panel, the BBC said in November that a draft version of The Report recommends that HS2 should be built, with only minor changes.

it includes the reduction of the planned number of trains per hour, from 18 to 14, in line with other high-speed networks around The World .

The Report also says that "large ticket-price increases" would not need, if HS2 is going to prevent that excessive demand for travel at peak times.

uk economy, hs2, department for transport, rail travel

Source of news: bbc.com