Yesterday (Monday) Mr Lidington and Cheryl Gillan MP met HS2 Chairman, Sir David Rowland at Westminster to discuss the scheme.

High Speed 2 (HS2) Ltd has been setup by the Government to plan a high speed rail link between London and the West Midlands. HS2 will submit a report to the Government at the end of the year recommending a preferred route. It will then be up to the Government whether to implement the findings of the report.

Mr Lidington said:

"We don't get know if this new rail link will go through the Chilterns, but we wanted to know more about the project and to tell HS2 about the concerns of our constituents. Sir David made it clear that no decision had yet been made about a preferred route.

"Explicit reassurances were given that high speed trains would not run through existing routes, with High Wycombe, Princes Risborough and Aylesbury being specifically ruled out. Sir David also said that if a high speed service were built it would not disrupt local commuter services because it would not use Chiltern Railways track.

"Sir David told me that HS2 is planning to consult the Chilterns Conservation Board and the Chiltern Society during the next few weeks.

"I will keep people up to date on the progress of the project, making sure that that the environmental impact is top of the agenda".

What do you think of the plans?

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