High-speed railway would boost economy and transport jobs
Business leaders have predicted that the British economy would receive a £55 billion boost if a UK-wide high speed railway line was to be constructed.
Members of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) have asked the country's three main political parties to commit to a "binding agreement" to press ahead with the scheme. They believe that whoever wins the general election, revitalising the UK's transport infrastructure and providing a boost to recruitment in construction, engineering and maintenance jobs in the railway industry should be a priority.
The BCC says that the benefits to business and the environment have already been well established and that further delays were unnecessary.
It argues that not only will the railway industry receive a huge boost due to the work, business revenues throughout the country will be benefit from the improved transport infrastructure. The BCC estimates that the combined benefits to UK jobs and business would be worth almost £55bn to the economy.
David Frost, the director general of the BCC, described the country's infrastructure as one of the "crucial factors in enabling business growth".
"Congestion on our transport system is already costing businesses £23bn a year in lost productivity." said Frost. "That is simply not sustainable if we want companies to thrive and our economy to grow".
"We know that high speed rail has been successful both here and abroad, and we know that the main political parties support it. What we want to see now is a move from simply talking about [it] to a binding, cross-party agreement that prevents politics and budget restraints from getting in the way of building this network".