The Institution of Civil Engineers South West (ICE) has welcomed the Transport Secretary, Justine Greening’s announcement that Britain will have High Speed Rail (HS2) by 2026.

ICE SW said it agreed that the opportunity should be taken to invest in a new railway that is “fit for the 21st century – significantly increasing capacity, strengthening connectivity between our city-regions and boosting the UK economy in the long term.”

However, Regional Director, Trish Johnson, said ICE would also like to see improved connections to the new HS2 line from the South West by way of the proposed spur from the Great West Main Line to a new hub station at Heathrow Airport.

Trish said: “While we welcome the announcement on High Speed Rail, we are concerned that there is still no news on the important Reading to Heathrow connection - we do not want to see our region lag behind.”

The far South West in particular is poorly served by its transport infrastructure with the closure of Plymouth City Airport and journey times to London currently taking over five hours from Cornwall.

Trish continued: “There is a great deal of concern in the region that the Reading-Heathrow link won’t be seen as a transport priority.  MPs across the South West are so concerned they brought the issue to government attention through a Commons debate.

“Investment in rail infrastructure to support the region’s economic prosperity and social connectivity is vital and installing an interchange at Heathrow for rail services to and from the South West would help do just that. We urge Government to address improving connections to and from the South West.”

ENDS