Quizzes & Puzzles11 mins ago
Hs2. Yes Or No?
27 Answers
Given the rising costs, and the smell of a gravy train, what exactly are supposed to be the benefits?
To get business people to their meetings ten minutes early?
Can somebody tell me?
Should it go ahead or be scrapped?
To get business people to their meetings ten minutes early?
Can somebody tell me?
Should it go ahead or be scrapped?
Answers
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//To get business people to their meetings ten minutes early? //
how many more times? that's a spin-off benefit, the real raison d'etre being the acquisition of badly needed extra capacity between London and the midlands. scrap it by all means if it's seen as bad value for money but there must be a credible alternative strategy in place - "do nothing" simply isn't an option.
how many more times? that's a spin-off benefit, the real raison d'etre being the acquisition of badly needed extra capacity between London and the midlands. scrap it by all means if it's seen as bad value for money but there must be a credible alternative strategy in place - "do nothing" simply isn't an option.
//Put more trains on the existing lines maybe? //
the last upgrade of the West Coast line was meant to provide capacity for more trains, for which regular passengers endured more than 15 years of disruption and substitutions by Bertie the Bus and now 10 years later all of that capacity has been used up - 10 years earlier than expected. More trains will need more railway which will mean another 20 years of constant disruption as Network Rail try to build around a badly congested existing railway. the alternative could be to eliminate freight trains - but would that pass the Greta Thunberg environmental credentials test?
the last upgrade of the West Coast line was meant to provide capacity for more trains, for which regular passengers endured more than 15 years of disruption and substitutions by Bertie the Bus and now 10 years later all of that capacity has been used up - 10 years earlier than expected. More trains will need more railway which will mean another 20 years of constant disruption as Network Rail try to build around a badly congested existing railway. the alternative could be to eliminate freight trains - but would that pass the Greta Thunberg environmental credentials test?
Last weekend I was talking to a civil engineer who is working on HS2. He explained that the current network is over-loaded and that it would be far more expensive to expand the current infrastructure than build from scratch with HS2. He said the time-saving is a mere spin-off and largely irrelevant.
I still think it's a huge waste of money though, not to mention the destruction of many acres of beautiful scenery.
I still think it's a huge waste of money though, not to mention the destruction of many acres of beautiful scenery.
//I still think it's a huge waste of money though //
but what would you do in its place - do nothing not an option. The Highways Agency are gamely trying the "upgrade existing" route on the M1 (and probably the M40, in time), a process involving many miles of motorway being under millions of cones for the next 2-3 years, and for what? an extra lane which will be just as full of traffic within a year of its opening, and an increase in fatal rear-end shunts of broken-down vehicles that no longer have anywhere safe to go.
but what would you do in its place - do nothing not an option. The Highways Agency are gamely trying the "upgrade existing" route on the M1 (and probably the M40, in time), a process involving many miles of motorway being under millions of cones for the next 2-3 years, and for what? an extra lane which will be just as full of traffic within a year of its opening, and an increase in fatal rear-end shunts of broken-down vehicles that no longer have anywhere safe to go.
//I still think it's a huge waste of money though, not to mention the destruction of many acres of beautiful scenery.//
This country has seen the construction of one - just one - significant section of main line railway in 120 years. That is HS1 (the High Speed line from London to the Kent coast) which opened in 2003. There were no new lines at all opened in the 20th Century, the previous opening being the final stretch of the Great Central Railway's "London Extension" of their route from Manchester which finally opened in 1899.
Many people moan and groan that the UK will be "left behind" as a result of its decision to quit the EU. Well it's already been left behind. Whilst our European neighbours have forged ahead with the construction of a high speed rail network we have built nothing. HS2 costs need to be brought under control but if the country is this prosper it must invest in this and other major infrastructure projects. You cannot cart goods and produce around over the internet.
This country has seen the construction of one - just one - significant section of main line railway in 120 years. That is HS1 (the High Speed line from London to the Kent coast) which opened in 2003. There were no new lines at all opened in the 20th Century, the previous opening being the final stretch of the Great Central Railway's "London Extension" of their route from Manchester which finally opened in 1899.
Many people moan and groan that the UK will be "left behind" as a result of its decision to quit the EU. Well it's already been left behind. Whilst our European neighbours have forged ahead with the construction of a high speed rail network we have built nothing. HS2 costs need to be brought under control but if the country is this prosper it must invest in this and other major infrastructure projects. You cannot cart goods and produce around over the internet.
ummm, the Selby Diversion, NJ?
I wouldn't call that a significant stretch, mush. It added nothing particularly new to the network but was simply built of necessity to avoid the risks of subsidence caused by coal mining. It is an "avoiding line" which carries north-south traffic (which was already catered for) over a different route.
I wouldn't call that a significant stretch, mush. It added nothing particularly new to the network but was simply built of necessity to avoid the risks of subsidence caused by coal mining. It is an "avoiding line" which carries north-south traffic (which was already catered for) over a different route.
I absolutely agree with NJ (for once).
Billions have already been spent and what’s already been done mist just about constitute the point of no return.
It is shocking how little transport infrastructure has been build over the decades.
What this project does is not just build a railway: it creates a transport corridor and hubs that will serve the country far into the future.
Another issue is that if it’s not built we face years of disruption as existing lines are upgraded.
If this is indeed to be a Bold Booming Brexit Britain then cancelling it round be a very inauspicious start
Billions have already been spent and what’s already been done mist just about constitute the point of no return.
It is shocking how little transport infrastructure has been build over the decades.
What this project does is not just build a railway: it creates a transport corridor and hubs that will serve the country far into the future.
Another issue is that if it’s not built we face years of disruption as existing lines are upgraded.
If this is indeed to be a Bold Booming Brexit Britain then cancelling it round be a very inauspicious start
I remain confused, unless someone can enlighten me. The NHS is on its knees, the police force is on it knees, along with the prison service, elderly care is almost none existent, we have a rapid growing number of homeless families, the list is endless, put we can find an insane amount of money to get to London faster. What happened to priorities and common sense, or learn to walk before you run. You have China at present in the process of building two hospitals in hopefully two weeks, we take years in the planning of such, and years to complete, if they do build HS2 it will be out of date by the time they've completed it, as for maintaining hs2, we can't maintain what we already have.
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