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HS2 high-speed London-Birmingham route rail project - discussion

Its OK all the Reading passengers will be on Crossrail so we can just miss Reading out.



What a train journey that is. What's your favourite station where no one gets on and no one gets off? Martins Heron? Winnersh Triangle (at the weekend)? Early is a good one because its fucking walking distance from Reading Station. Now we have Longcross as well...

Mind you it is a pretty journey and there's always the 4 can challenge which used to be easier when I lived in Richmond but its a struggle from Twickenham. Maybe I'm getting old.

:D

Martins Heron probably. Because I like the name. And it sits at the edge of Swinley Forest and I always fancied having a wander around in there.

4 can challenge? 4 cans of lager between Richmond and Reading?
 
:D

Martins Heron probably. Because I like the name. And it sits at the edge of Swinley Forest and I always fancied having a wander around in there.

4 can challenge? 4 cans of lager between Richmond and Reading?

Yup, sinking a 4 pack (500ml obvs) before the train rolls into Reading and I roll into the 3 Guineas. One has to pass the time as scenic as it is.
 
Its OK all the Reading passengers will be on Crossrail so we can just miss Reading out.



What a train journey that is. What's your favourite station where no one gets on and no one gets off? Martins Heron? Winnersh Triangle (at the weekend)? Early is a good one because its fucking walking distance from Reading Station. Now we have Longcross as well...

Mind you it is a pretty journey and there's always the 4 can challenge which used to be easier when I lived in Richmond but its a struggle from Twickenham. Maybe I'm getting old.

Longcross has always been there, for the staff at the tank factory. It is also feted for a massive housing development. If you google-earth it you can also see a millennium falcon lurking nearby.

Reading is also needed to connect west from Guildford. Getting on there and taking your pre-booked Pullman Dining seat is a pleasure, especially as there are hungry punters nearby who will then hear the announcement that all tables are taken and everyone else should fuck off and look for some shabby shite from the trolley as it passes through :)
 
Longcross has always been there, for the staff at the tank factory. It is also feted for a massive housing development. If you google-earth it you can also see a millennium falcon lurking nearby.

Yes I was aware of Longcross but its only recently that I've been on trains that stop there. I wasn't aware of the military connection, I had assumed it was some private station for the denizens of the Wentworth Estate. Unfortunately I know all about the new housing estate which will no doubt make it a permanent feature on the journey in time.
 
Not really very interesting, just seems to regurgitate the common misunderstandings about the purpose of HS2. It's wrong that there's no connection to Heathrow, that's partly what old oak common is for. It also complains about the lack of direct link to st pancras and HS1 but the reason for that is down to the cost of doing the necessary works through london (and earlier in the article they complain about the costs incurred at the london end).
 
Well, I'm pleased.

The thing about massive infrastructure projects is it only really becomes clear whether it was the right thing to do many years down the line. After about 50 years it will become apparent what they should have done.

ETA: Just need some people to build it now after we kick all the unwelcome foreigners out. Finding the expertise could be even harder than finding the money.
 
He's also saying the 'northern power house' railway between Leeds & Manchester will also go ahead, together with other rail links in the north, ASAP.
 
Confirmed with a mass ramp up of infrastructure and bus funding.

What the conservatives fuck up they also fix (haha they won’t fix shit), just takes a few decades and for everyone to forget it was their regulations and changes that killed off decent public transport.
 
Still not convinced that the Leeds/Manchester parts will end up being built.

And have to say that what the skeptical Tory MPs are saying is a lot closer to what most people here think than Burnham.
 
Still not convinced that the Leeds/Manchester parts will end up being built.

And have to say that what the skeptical Tory MPs are saying is a lot closer to what most people here think than Burnham.
Where's here... And what are most people thinking?
 
Leeds. That HS2 is for the benefit on London commuters, that it is taking money from investment in local public transport, that it will not going to benefit them
 
So the two biggest cities in the uk get improved infrastructure and everyplace else is shafted but has to pay for it.

This is Britain, working as designed.

Tbf according to the engineering nerds I know HS2 has been stated to address numerous capacity and safety issues it's just the government is obsessed with that 20 minutes off a trip to Birmingham figure as if that's the selling point
 
Well, I'm pleased.

The thing about massive infrastructure projects is it only really becomes clear whether it was the right thing to do many years down the line. After about 50 years it will become apparent what they should have done.
I'm glad a decision has been made simply because we seem to be really bad at making decisions on things like this. But to be fair it had already been decided by parliament so I don't know what all the fuss is about. Is the planning stage to be got through ?

To counter that it's environmentally crap so why are we doing it? 50yrs being a particularly important point. With a climate crisis that no politician seems to have woken up to I'm not sure spunking £100bn on a super speed energy grabbing railway is great news. You can't replace ancient wood land. The battleground for ancient woodland is more for here though : lower thames crossing
 
To counter that it's environmentally crap so why are we doing it? 50yrs being a particularly important point. With a climate crisis that no politician seems to have woken up to I'm not sure spunking £100bn on a super speed energy grabbing railway is great news. You can't replace ancient wood land. The battleground for ancient woodland is more for here though : lower thames crossing

this is why everyone ignores the greens

greens “we should ban cars“
Same greens “we shouldn’t build alternative forms of transport”
 
Still not convinced that the Leeds/Manchester parts will end up being built.

And have to say that what the skeptical Tory MPs are saying is a lot closer to what most people here think than Burnham.

The eastern fork is not scheduled to open until 2035-2040 which is a very broad time scale and a very long time in the future. Long grass doesn't get much longer.

Most likely just getting as far a Birmingham will be an utter fiasco, all unfolding against a backdrop of economic stagnation and political malaise. I fully expect phase 2 to be shitcanned in light of that.
 
this is why everyone ignores the greens

greens “we should ban cars“
Same greens “we shouldn’t build alternative forms of transport”

Maybe we just shouldn't build ill-conceived and unnecessary forms of transport designed to funnel ever more economic activity towards London, confounding many of the environmental and social issues this causes.

Imagine what we could do for the rest of the network with 100 billion quid. Trains could once again be a thing working class people could afford to use, as well as a reliable option for people commuting to anywhere that isn't London, which they're not at present. That, not HS2, is what's needed to get more cars off the roads.
 
I think its gonna be a colossal waste of money. Garden Bridge guy is going to spaff well above £100bn - all the contractors will take UK Gov for a ride as it is now politically unscrappable. The forecast trip projections will turn out to be bs and so will the economic benefits. Driverless cars and better teleconferencing will mean much lower reliance on rail for commuting and business trips.
 
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