High Speed UK: A Better Alternative To HS2 …and how to pay for it (at little or no cost to the taxpayer)

Organised by the Birmingham Fabian Society

5pm-late: Social: The Woodman pub, New Canal Street, Birmingham, B5 5LG

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The first talk covers an alternative plan to HS2

Colin Elliff and Quentin Macdonald have developed 'High Speed UK', a plan for UK railways that will be cheaper to build, will benefit far more people, and will be less damaging to the environment .

It is based around an M1-aligned high speed line from London to Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a trans-Pennine spur linking Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield. All major communities of the West and East Midlands will benefit from High Speed UK services, with a new 'Midlands Ring' created that will transform connectivity across the region.

Colin Elliff is an experienced railway civil engineer, having worked in the industry for more than 30 years on all  aspects of railway civil engineering including multi-disciplinary projects.

The second talk covers how to pay for rail infrastructure, using the experience of Hong Kong

The speaker Andrew Purves grew up in Hong Kong, attended school in Edinburgh, and University in London. He runs a furniture business in London, and tutors Economics at the School of Economic Science in his spare time. He recently wrote a book on the Hong Kong Economic Miracle: No Debt, High Growth, Low Tax, which includes a chapter on Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway, which has been built at no cost to the taxpayer, and generates a £1bn annual profit, paying annual dividends to the Hong Kong Government.

His talk explains how to pay for railway upgrades at little or no cost to the general taxpayer, using the HK model of 'Property + Rail'. This model was also used to finance the construction of London's Metropolitan line in the late 19th century

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High Speed UK Website: http://highspeeduk.co.uk

Birmingham Fabians Society: http://birminghamfabians.uk

Rethink HS2 Resources

Media Briefing: http://tinyurl.com/rethinkhs2brief
Leaflet: http://tinyurl.com/rethinkhs2
Website: http://www.rethink-hs2.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/rethinkhs2