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High Speed Train 2

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I have no idea how many folk here have traveled at high speed other than flight
I haven driven a car off the clock at 175 mph on the road another time I drove a car flat out over a long bridge here in Tampa Bay 170+ you can not look out the side windows because you can not focus on anything.
Lamp posts become a blur looking forward works because you can focus
. So from what I read there will be many tunnels and a good portion of the line will be a cut, so most will travel in a green gully
No looking out over the green country and enjoying the view
The idea of this has no appeal to me

For many we will not see this project through, i feel that any thing after Birmingham may not get built at all, this could be another Concord (edit) marvelous but with limited use
 
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On most long distance trains today the majority of passengers are looking at their tablets, phones and in some cases a book. Few, in the UK, anyway seem to be concerned with window views. The motor vehicle has to change if the green issues of today are a guide. The railway moves lots of people with only one or two prime movers.
If you read early railway history you will see the same kind of objections - more or less - being raised against Brunel and other railway builders. Some thought a human being could not survive at a speed of more than 10 mph. Cuttings and tunnels were demanded by landed gentry where it was thought a railway line would spoil the manorial view. Many great physical obstacles were encountered and overcome, which has given us some spectacular bridges, viaducts and buildings. The scars on the landscape were soon healed by Mother Nature.
In the middle of the 20th. century the car became king and railways were disparaged. The wheel ;) has turned 180 degrees and the car, whilst still holding its own due to popular need, is no longer a rising star. For many of us motor vehicles are a necessity, however, in future more electric vehicles will serve local, small and rural communities but major travel will be by rail or air. Air will continue as it is worldwide rather than country wide.
 
We used this when going abroad [trying to be a bit greener] and it is excellent. Our tickets to Marseilles from London were £49.99p - beat that Easyjet! Plus it is city centre to city centre, not an airfield in the middle of nowhere.
But if you really want to travel in style in economy the German trains are tremendous. We took one to Berlin and it was luxurious and high-tec.
The fast track down the spine of Italy is also highly recommended - the views are jaw-dropping.
The German trains are great...I used to fly to Munich (from US) for BMW then use the trains to Ingolstadt, Wolfsburg and Stuttgart back to Munich. I did that 8 or 9 times, uneventful travel, great coffee and brioche at the stations! Very cost and time efficient.
 
The Victorians made an investment which allows us to benefit from the railways we have today, its now our turn!. As Hilary Benn said," we are making a 150 year investment for this country with HS2".

Anyone who has a genuine interest in the future of Birmingham (as opposed to self interest) should be supporting HS2.

The unions, by the way ,have done nothing to cause lack of investment in the railways but their very noticeable lack of action in the 60s was shameful. They lacked an 'Arthur Scargill' type of leadership which on reflection would have been much more appropriate to rail than coal which was a lost uneconomical case. The closure of many railways was a disgusting waste of infrastructure which over the years we will continue to regret.

Beeching hated 'Parallel Running" and this flawed thinking caused the closure of the Great Central and the Birmingham Snow Hill services to Wolverhampton & London. The Walsall to Birmingham via Aldridge & Walmley services also, this service in particular should never have been closed as its passenger numbers were high and would be considerably higher today with the development of Castle Vale and Walmley alone.
 
I don't think HS2 will have a station at international. As far as I can see, there will be no stations between Brum and London

There will be two stations between Curzon Street and Euston

1. Birmingham Interchange
2. Old Oak Common


From Wiki

Birmingham Interchange is a planned High Speed 2 railway station in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, expected to open in 2026.[2]

Unlike the city centre based Birmingham Curzon Street railway station, the interchange station will be a parkway, serving the east side of Birmingham and surrounding urban areas.[3]

The station will be on the opposite side of the M42 motorway from the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International railway station.[4] The interchange will be connected by a people mover to these locations with a capacity of over 2100 passengers per hour in each direction in the peak period.[3]


Journey time from this station to London is planned to be 38 minutes.[3]
 
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Few years ago when my daughter worked for Eurostar ,she arranged for me to go into the cab of the train going to Paris.The speed was non egsistant it seemed we were travelling at. 60 MPH but we're doing 180
 
Bob,I not on about investment .Im on about DISRUPTION of the services .Just ask the people of Kent Sussex and Surrey
 
I went to St Chad's on Friday for a funeral. As we were passing those brand new offices in Snow Hill I was told that HS2 have several floors there and they're all fitted out with the best furniture. No problem with this but apparently nobody ever uses them. Is it an investment or do they intend to use them in the future?
 
I'm with you on this one. The problem with 'multi-media' forums is that it gives those people with little knowledge a platform to make crass statements. We have to accept this piffle but not agree with it.

I think its more important to accept we live in a wonderful country that allows freedom of speech and expression regardless of knowledge or 'Piffle'. I for one support 'Piffle' and consider myself an experienced 'Piffler'!
 
I think its more important to accept we live in a wonderful country that allows freedom of speech and expression regardless of knowledge or 'Piffle'. I for one support 'Piffle' and consider myself an experienced 'Piffler'!
....and so say all of us, now about the piffling championships?

Bob
 
HS2: Government to give high-speed rail line the go-ahead
Read Pedros article...………...it said the costs went up because contractors had risk in the game. Now its been changed so that the only folks with risk are those paying for it. there is no motivation or incentive to control the costs! The escalation in cost so far is enormous and as they say "you aint seen nothing yet" It seems like a good idea but the implementation is abysmal!
 
No one really knows how much this project will eventually cost, why, because there has never been a project like this before.

Many projects go over budget, have a look at these:

 
No one really knows how much this project will eventually cost, why, because there has never been a project like this before.

Many projects go over budget, have a look at these:

Read Penns article...……… and Pedros, it will make you think!
 
Birmingham Daily Mail, July 1904, Report on the Elan Valley Water Supply...

"the financial aspect of the scheme may be considered under two headings, firstly the excess of the cost over estimates.... on the first instalment the total excess will, in all probability, be roughly two millions of money. The original estimated was just under 4 millions. (work to be completed next year)
 
Let's just hope that it brings good things to Birmingham. I am just about to look up the old Curzon Street railway, at least an old building was still to be seen at the Curzon Street site on the TV this afternoon.
 
Here you are Kat. Curzon Street has its own thread:


Viv.
 
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