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I have been woken up twice in the last month to hear the word ‘Chiltern' mentioned on Radio 4's Today programme. It tends to get the adrenaline going. The most recent occasion was the weather story. We have discovered snow for the first time in a generation. It's been tough for both customers and staff, but there was wonderful pulling together before Christmas which involved the organisation of an overnight rest centre for affected residents. Then, there was even more snow over the New Year period. The public wanted information, and although our lines of communication have been short, in general, the business coped well. Admittedly, we did get some criticism in the local press for gritting the entrance to the offices to help customers and staff get in – apparently we made too good a job of it, since no-one fell over. So, how did I get to work during this period? The train, of course, and we thank the great foresight of the Metropolitan and Great Central Railways, more recently London Underground and Chiltern Railways, which have worked well. The line was originally built through a mixture of private capital and state support, and overcame considerable local resistance. Which brings me to the first occasion when the Chilterns hit the BBC morning news – with the chief executive of our local Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) tramping through the woods one crisp, frosty morning, commenting on the potential impact of a new railway – the proposed High Speed 2 link from London to Birmingham and the North. The geographers among you will have noted that our AONB occupies a significant site in between the key destinations. Railways are, of course, a good thing. But the potential scheme, which will bring 300kmph train speeds, needs rather more than the Thomas the Tank Engine scale of infrastructure we are used to. It will involve 7km radius curves, relatively-steep gradients of up to 3.5%, significant scale cuttings and no station stops. The business case will be built on travel time savings and avoiding an extra runway at London's Heathrow Airport. But is it any more sustainable? We must await [transport secretary] Lord Adonis' proposals. Whether the scheme is supported or not, it could pose significant capacity issues in our region. We must safeguard our planning and transportation skills, and work together, and the Government should recognise we need to have sufficient resources to handle the strategic issues such a project will present. Alan Goodrum is chief executive of Chiltern DC

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WHITEHALL

District View

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