Protesters block entrance to high-speed rail project in London

FILE PHOTO: Workers walk outside a construction site for a section of Britain's HS2 high-speed railway project, at London Euston train station in London on Feb 11, 2020. LONDON: Protesters blocked the entrance to a site office for a planned high-speed rail line at London's Euston station on Monday , saying the money should be diverted from the project to bolster health services battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus, two people held a black banner across a road, forcing a lorry to turn back, in what organisers said was part of day-long series of actions at various sites linked to the project, called HS2."We are here today because we very much believe that the money spent on HS2 should be redirected immediately to our NHS," said one of the protesters, referring to Britain's National Health Service, according to video posted on social media.

Protesters said they had also blocked at least 11 entrances to HS2 sites in the county of Warwickshire in central England, and that other protests were planned. People opposed to HS2 have spent years setting up camps and occupations at various points along the planned route to try to stop contractors razing ancient woodland for the project, which has also come under fire on cost grounds.

Supporters of the scheme say it will slash journey times between London and northern England and add capacity to Britain's crowded network.

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