Here are some resources and links you might find useful and interesting relating to subjects covered in Episode 15.

Mark Harper’s response to Richard’s letter

Back in November, after Green Signals appeared at the Transport Select Committee (you can watch that on our YouTube channel here), Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper then gave evidence a week later. He talked about the data analysis that had been used in deciding to cancel HS2 Phase 2. He suggested that there had been quite a lot of data and analysis done that nobody had seen.

So Richard wrote to him on the November 22nd quoting what he said in his evidence and asked if we could see the detailed capacity analysis and the extensive modelling that he and his officials did in advance of making the decision on Phase 2.

On January 10th, Richard received a reply and we promised on the show to let you all see both Richard’s letter and the reply, so here they are…

We also mentioned a tweet that Mark Harper had made and some comments in an accompanying video after he visited Japan last summer and saw the benefits of high speed rail…

🇬🇧 Britain’s bullet train 🇬🇧

In Japan, I saw the benefits high speed rail can bring – to connect communities & grow the economy

That’s why, despite the global inflationary pressures, we remain fully committed to building @HS2ltd

🇬🇧 🚄 Building it shows we believe in Britain👇 pic.twitter.com/BuB4ti2Wqj

— Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) June 30, 2023

Has Keir Starmer bottled it on HS2?

Here’s a link to the BBC’s report of what Keir Starmer said about HS2 recently.

West Coast Railway Company vs ORR

Here are some links if you want to do some more reading about the Judicial Review we discussed on the show and ORR’s recent revocation of the exemption that allowed WCR to run Mark 1s on the main line.

• If you’d like to have a read of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 that changed the guidance on the use of Mark 1 carriages, you can read them on the ORR’s website.
• The 1993 report of the Health and Safety Executive investigation into Passenger Falls from Train Doors.
• The Judicial Review court judgement and summary.