More tunnel trouble for Gerrards Cross? (From This Is Local London)

More tunnel trouble for Gerrards Cross?

2:43pm Wednesday 17th March 2010 in

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DIGGING a tunnel underneath Gerrards Cross is part of a “genuine alternative” route for High Speed trains – news that will bring back bad memories for villagers.

In 2005 building work for a new Tesco store led the existing railway tunnel under Packhorse Road collapse - narrowly missing a passenger train.

The troubled Tesco store is finally set to open later this year.

Since the Government announced its plans for High Speed Two - with trains of up to 250mph travelling between London and Birmingham in 44 minutes - it has emerged its 'Plan B' route would tunnel under Gerrards Cross.

Trevor Kent, an Oxford Road estate agent, said: “Surely Gerrards Cross has had more than enough of tunnelling.”

He said he also opposed the 'preferred' route, which would tunnel beneath Chalfont St Peter and Amersham, before running overground near Great Missenden.

Mr Kent added: “I very much hope that sanity will eventually reign and a more acceptable route will be found during consultation.”

An overwhelming level of opposition has already been expressed over the preferred route and a wave of protests are set to break out across the Chilterns (see links below).

If there is enough opposition to the first choice route the Government said the Gerrards Cross route would be a 'genuine alternative'.

It would involve a 4km tunnel under the village, which would run alongside the existing Chiltern line.

It would then emerge at Chantry Wood before going overground through fields south of Jordans and then north of Beaconsfield (see link below for route maps).

This option would be more expensive and “slightly inferior” to the first choice route, the report said.

There is set to be a public consultation over the plans.

The Government said the service, which would not stop in Bucks, would be a massive boost to the economy and get people off aeroplanes. It would cut journey times between Britain's two biggest cities by about 40 minutes.

Work on the £30 billion project could start in 2019 for the line to be ready in 2026.