‘Get grip’ call over rail plan (From The Oxford Times)

‘Get grip’ call over rail plan

9:30am Saturday 23rd June 2012 in Oxfordshire

CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans for a high speed rail line which would cut across Oxfordshire say the Government needs to “get a grip” on the scheme.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening insisted the scheme was still going ahead after The Spectator magazine this week published comments from an unnamed Conservative minister saying the HS2 project was “effectively dead” because of opposition from Conservative MPs.

HS2 is planned to run between London and Birmingham, skirting villages in north-east Oxfordshire including Finmere and Mixbury.

Bernie Douglas, chairman of Villages of Oxfordshire Opposed to HS2, said: “It’s pretty obvious to anyone that the Treasury is looking at this carefully and we know there is an awful lot of noise from people who have got concerns about the business case, or lack of one.

“While they are mucking about people are suffering. They need to get a grip and get things sorted out.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “The Government stands full-square behind a national high speed rail network, as the Prime Minister reiterated to Parliament.”