HS2 Infographic

Collage. A black cloud labelled CO2, captioned: HS2 is forecast to still be a net carbon contributor 120 years into the future, source HS2 Ltd. A freight train features a quote from Lord Berkeley, former chair of The Rail Freight Association: “HS2 Ltd claims to free up capacity for rail freight, but DFT’s actions to date mean that this may be just an illusion… even existing services may be prevented from operating.” Three twenty-pence pieces, captioned what every pound spent on HS2 get you, source The Berkeley Independent Review of HS2. A worker wields a chainsaw in a forest: 108 ancient woodlands are at risk, source Woodland Trust. A rail timetable is chopped up with scissors: £11.1billion of cuts to existing rail services which are needed to pay for HS2, source HS2 Ltd. A road sign points to four airports: Leeds-Bradford, Manchester, East Midlands and Birmingham, caption: far from reducing flights, HS2 is being lobbied for by 4 major airports who all say HS2 is essential in their plans for aviation expansion. A giant boot looms over woods and wetlands: HS2 threatens 693 local wildlife sites, 33 sites of special scientific interest, 21 designated local nature reserves, 5 wildlife refuges of international importance, source The Woodland Trust. Power stations emit grey smoke, HS2 will require 3 terawatt-hours per year of electric to run, which is equal to 67% of the electricity the entire UK rail network currently uses, source KPMG for HS2 Ltd. Passengers queue for a train above a quote from Chris Stokes, former director of British Rail and the Strategic Rail Authority: “The suggestion that HS2 will free up commuting capacity into Leeds or Manchester simply isn’t true.” A large group of people are pushed aside by a giant construction vehicle: 19,590 jobs permanently displaced, source HS2 Ltd. A wrecking ball swings towards a row of houses: 888 homes and 985 commercial buildings demolished, source HS2 Ltd. A train travels through water on a road hazard sign: 9 major rivers diverted, 34 kilometres of the route goes through flood zones, source HS2 Ltd. A vacuum cleaner in the south sucks up a pile of cash from the north: Far from being a magic wand to cure the North/South divide, every single piece of national and international evidence shows HS2 would just make London an even more dominant economic centre. Passengers on laptops use WiFi on a train: £48.1billion, or 45.4% of the economic benefits of HS2, rely on the fact that no one ever works on trains, the word fact is in scare quotes, source HS2 Ltd.

All these images are © STOP HS2 – The National Campaign Against High Speed Rail 2, but are part of their toolbox that can be used in the fight against HS2. You can download and/or find Twitter links for individual images and the collage on their website: http://stophs2.org/toolbox/19050-stop-hs2-graphics-2020