High-Speed 2 Delayed.....

[mushroom25]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/03/31/ministers-have-delayed-signing-first-half-spending-hs2-six-months/

does this represent the beginning of the end?

[youngmafbog]

Hopefully so.

Disgraceful waste of time and money.

[ToraToraTora]

well if we leave with no deal we'll have 39bn kicking its heels!

[anotheoldgit]

Hi Speed????????????

It's certainly a slow runner.

[pixie374]

I sincerely hope so. They have already completely wrecked a field near me, which you can see for miles from different views. It goes right through the countryside.

[hereIam]

I definitely hope so, with bells on !

[mushroom25]

if HS2 were to be cancelled, it's difficult to know what could be done to provide more capacity between London and Birmingham. the west coast line, expensively upgraded 10 years ago, is now full to capacity again. all the trains are full and standing. both ways. all day. every day. the limit of upgrade has been reached, only way to get more capacity out of the line would be to slow all traffic to the speed of the slowest freight services (which would mean a journey time of at least an hour more than today), or to eliminate rail freight - both of which would probably be politically unacceptable. regular users of the M1/M6 will know the amount of "smart motorway" works currently underway, the extra capacity of which will probably be exhausted from the day it's all finished.

soo. what to do..... if no HS2 - an 8-lane each way M40, anyone? doing nothing not an option.

[pixie374]

Underground then, and stop ruining the green belt.

[pixie374]

Anyway, nobody wants to go to Birmingham. Let alone faster :-)

[ToraToraTora]

no one wants to go to Brum? Not even for a copper tie pixie?

[pixie374]

Nah :-)

[pixie374]

Oh. Only just got that. Lol x

[derek-33]

and it does not go to the centre of birmingham it goes on the outskirts and the fares on this hs2 will be prohibitive to most travellers so the 30 mins saved ? will be taken up by getting transport to the centre of birmingham
BTW new street station, fantastic

[youngmafbog]

Mushroom, I dont think HS2 will resolv e any of the (very valid) problems you have highlighted.

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe commercial planning needs a rethink to stop all this need for travel in the first place. Folk can't actually like spending hours having to commute.

[mushroom25]

actually it will, because it will take the fastest 9 trains-an-hour intercity trains off the west coast route, which will provide for about 12-15 additional slower-speed paths on the existing line. more room for commuter services and freight trains.

[klazomaniac]

Thanx pixie @15.12

I just spat my beer out
*Titterfarkle* :-)

[pixie374]

You're welcome :-)