HS2 progress 2020 and beyond

[Lloyd]

I do feel disappointed in the way this thread has turned. As its title suggests, it is for information on the progress to the new line, not a soap box for naysayers and nimbys. Perhaps there should be other boards for those who dislike the routes the city's progress is taking, I know there are many (and I wouldn't want to decry their feelings - there are a few things I don't like too) and I am aware that in the past there were objections to the original railways, and similarly motorways, but time has shown their usefulness has shone through. Give HS2 a chance- its removal of ordinary express London - Birmingham (and hopefully further north) trains will give space on the existing network for improved interurban, suburban and commuter traffic, which I'm sure most of us agree is necessary.

 

[Heartland]

Unfortunately Lloyd there are those that have protested since the start, such is free speech, but I agree this thread should be for the progress, which still continues despite those who deliberately look for the negative. Do they moan when a new road devastates an area and if you look at the massive motorway junctions where nature has been lost to tarmac, do these people care?

Building railways have always faced a degree of challenges and some engineers have faced criticism from people at the time for lack of
progress. The Victorian newspapers were good at reporting both the facts and also opinions. They were the contemporary version of the modern
day blog. Newspaper text was sometimes repeated time and time again if some fact was considered newsworthy. It is the skill of the historian that has to separate fact from fake news.

Such is the case with HS2 as those that want to promote fake news in the hope that the detritus that sticks will stop the project. If that happens thousands of people will loose their jobs, the supply chain will suffer, and the new innovations in the industry will be handicapped.

Time after time Midlands industry has been handicapped through lack of investment and when some good happens, it is lost again. Take the
innovative MAGLEV whose technology has been lost abroad. Only now we seem to be reclaiming new advances with railway technology such as the Very Light Rail, which no doubt somebody on this forum would trash, if ever a post is made on this forum.

 

[Pedrocut]

Hold on a bit there is nothing wrong with being a NIMBY, I was a failed one. We protested and moaned continuously from the start against the M6 motorway splitting our row of houses, and the biggest interchange of motorways in Europe being placed half a mile away. Failed.

 

[Lloyd]

Hold on a bit there is nothing wrong with being a NIMBY, I was a failed one. We protested and moaned continuously from the start against the M6 motorway splitting our row of houses, and the biggest interchange of motorways in Europe being placed half a mile away. Failed.

No there isn't, but what if you'd have succeeded - the M6 would be miles away, the main road to Sutton, Lichfield Derby and north of there would still be through Aston Cross, and the many industries that rely on the motorway network for supply and delivery would be established in other places. Perhaps Lichfield and Uttoxeter would have become 'New Towns and grown, like Redditch and Telford while Birmingham became a near derelict ruin, still having terraced and back-to-back houses dating from a century and three quarters ago.

 

[Richard Dye]

Unfortunately Lloyd there are those that have protested since the start, such is free speech, but I agree this thread should be for the progress, which still continues despite those who deliberately look for the negative. Do they moan when a new road devastates an area and if you look at the massive motorway junctions where nature has been lost to tarmac, do these people care?

Building railways have always faced a degree of challenges and some engineers have faced criticism from people at the time for lack of
progress. The Victorian newspapers were good at reporting both the facts and also opinions. They were the contemporary version of the modern
day blog. Newspaper text was sometimes repeated time and time again if some fact was considered newsworthy. It is the skill of the historian that has to separate fact from fake news.

Such is the case with HS2 as those that want to promote fake news in the hope that the detritus that sticks will stop the project. If that happens thousands of people will loose their jobs, the supply chain will suffer, and the new innovations in the industry will be handicapped.

Time after time Midlands industry has been handicapped through lack of investment and when some good happens, it is lost again. Take the
innovative MAGLEV whose technot of moneylogy has been lost abroad. Only now we seem to be reclaiming new advances with railway technology such as the Very Light Rail, which no doubt somebody on this forum would trash, if ever a post is made on this forum.

I take umbrage with your comments, I have nothing against the HS2, my concern is that you are going to run out of money. With the over runs and delays you are about 2X the original plan when it gets done. If thats OK, then bring it on. Regarding light rail, I think you should use a lot more of it but plan & budget correctly.

 

[Lloyd]

I think every 'national construction plan's cost is deliberately under estimated, be it railway, motorway, hospital, school or whatever. if the true cost were to be announced at the outset, absolutely nothing would get approved.

 

[Pedrocut]

For Gravelly Hill interchange, unlike HS2, the residents close by have had to live with the pollution.

 

[Richard Dye]

I think every 'national construction plan's cost is deliberately under estimated, be it railway, motorway, hospital, school or whatever. if the true cost were to be announced at the outset, absolutely nothing would get approved.

And that’s ok!

 

[Lloyd]

And that’s ok!

What's OK, that no new construction is approved? Our railways, motorways, hospitals and schools enter a stasis for the next century or so? At least tax can be reduced if there's nothing new to pay for.

 

[Godber]

For Gravelly Hill interchange, unlike HS2, the residents close by have had to live with the pollution.

I live very near the HS2 construction site. Wash your car, leave it parked outside for 2-3 days and it’s covered in dust and grit. Windows and doors are the same. There’s often acrid smells in the air. Frequent road closures and temporary lights cause traffic congestion with vehicles sat with idling engines.

 

[Heartland]

Regarding Ricard Dye, the posts related to adverse comments about HS 2 should be on another thread. This thread concerns HS 2 progress.

Britain is lacking behind other railway operators with regard to High Speed progress, and anything that shows positive progress in this regard is
important.

A part of the HS 2 plan is also to use existing tracks
When fully complete, HS2’s new high-speed line will connect Manchester and London – via Birmingham and Crewe – on the fastest trains in Europe. HS2’s British-built, bullet-style trains will also be able to continue on to the existing network, and will serve major towns and cities in the North West and Scotland, including Liverpool, Preston and Glasgow.

This new connectivity for the North West and Scotland will transform the way we think about getting around Britain. Quicker journeys save time and open up new opportunities for where you live and work, as well as seeing friends, new places, and getting the best out of what Britain has to offer.

So they start gradually and gradually expand, very much like the railways of the 1830's

 

[Pedrocut]

Nice to see we have a new Moderator !