Petitioning on Euston: AP3

I have today submitted a petition to the HS2 Select Committee on the proposed changes to Euston station as part of the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill, known as Additional Provision 3 (AP3). The proposals for the redesigned Euston station, to include capacity for the new high speed trains as well as maintaining the "classic" Network Rail services, have undergone a number of significant changes since the Bill was first introduced to Parliament in November 2013, and my primary concern is to ensure that the views and positions of commuting constituents have been represented to the Select Committee.

Many people across South Northamptonshire regularly use the West Coast Main Line to commute into London, and have expressed their concerns over the uncertainty surrounding the timescales for the delivery of the Euston redevelopment, and the impact of the reduction in platforms for the classic line services. The improvements at Euston are now scheduled to take place over a much longer period of time, with changes to the number of approach tracks into the station that are reminiscent of the pre-West Coast Route Modernisation era.

I have raised a number of points with the HS2 Select Committee that constituents have put to me and I am confident that the Select Committee, expertly chaired by my colleague and friend Robert Syms MP, will impress upon the promoter HS2 Ltd the importance of a full and detailed response to each of the concerns that local commuters have brought forward. I also took the opportunity to put on record the dissatisfaction many constituents have experienced with the communications from HS2 Ltd, in particular the locus standi objection that was issued to Chipping Warden & Edgcote Parish Council.

I have attached a copy of my petition submission for any interested party to review and, as always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if I can be of any assistance in this or any other matter.

Andrea Leadsom MP's petition submission to the HS2 Select Committee on AP3 [Euston]