Most motorists would snub HS2

Just three per cent of motorists say they would be persuaded to switch to the proposed high speed rail because of the 225mph trains, a survey has revealed.

The £32 billion line between London, Manchester and Leeds will see two new stations built in Birmingham.

But a poll by motoring group the AA and survey company Populus revealed less than a third of drivers living in Birmingham said they would be likely to use High Speed 2 when it opens in 2026.

The majority of drivers, 62 per cent, saw the cost as more important than the speed of the journey.

Out of 16,850 AA members polled, 18 per cent said proximity of a station to their home or office was vital. Asked if they would use high-speed rail if it was available for a journey they usually made by car, 33 per cent of those polled said they would, 34 per cent said they would not and the rest did not know.

Birmingham City Council is supporting the scheme because it believes 22,000 jobs will be created in the West Midlands as a result.

However Staffordshire County Council and Lichfield District Council are objecting amid concerns that homes near to Lichfield will be lost to make way for the route and that the countryside will be torn up.