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On the face of it faster train times sounds fantastic.
How is it going to create all the benefits that it's supporters bang on about? Will it be able to transport freight as well as passengers? If so what products will it transport that will be able to justify the cost?
I'm all for getting as much transport off the road as possible but aren't these people, like so many others, just spinning a fantasy that politicians can't turn down cos it looks like they are being progressive?
Wouldn't this money be better spent on rolling stock and network upgrades/improvements over the entire network or at least over the major arterial part of the network.
I just don't see the real benefit to the country, business and employment. Obviously during construction there will be a lot of extra workers needed but surely the justification is that it will bring about new or improved businesses that require more permanent workers.
I do understand the concerns of people on the route who are opposed but at the end of the day if we are to modernise things like this need to happen. BUT there needs to be a real benefit not just a massive ego "tank" for Cameron/Clegg/add whoever.
I just don't see getting people to concerts or exhibitions at the NEC is going to restore the countries economy, especially when no one will be able to afford to use it.
I'd love to travel on Virgin when I go to London for trips as it can be a very short trip. Instead mor eoften than not I save quite a bit of cash and get the London Midland service that takes twice as long.
And are they using British engineers/workforce?
How is it going to create all the benefits
it will fail to deliver the over hyped and ever changing benefits predicted and it will fail to come in anywhere near budget
if you are loooking for a spin off benefit, its that the route puts five safe tory seats up for grabs
And are they using British engineers/workforce?
It will be subject to procurement regs, so will be open to EU wide competition.
No guarantees, and actually no way of requiring a "foreign" contractor to use local resources.
So many questions. To answer one; doubt freight will be on the route. Trains are slower and will slow down the high speed trains, which reduces capacity on the line. Freight will remain on current tracks with quick trains on HST2.
Virgin is expensive, last time I looked Stoke to London was about 50% more at full rate than Derby to London, a very similar distance.
There is limited capacity on the existing WCML, longer trains cant fit on existing platforms or in the sidings and will also affect the signalling distances.
Freight want be allowed on HS2, its purely a commuter line, freight will get more space on the WCML,offering less congestion on the motorways, one driver per train of 30 plus lories, as opposed to 30 lorry drivers driving at 56 mph.
It will create a huge amount of skilled and semi skiled work for the workforce employed, along with a massive amount of new build factories and ofices along the line of the WCML, as factories now get easier transport links with the rest of the uk.
two words: Edinburgh Trams
It's all heading to an English county soon
I would have thought it would be better spending that kind of money on getting people moving round our towns and cities more efficiently rather than a few folk getting to london 15 minutes quicker.
There are many places not served by rail far more deserving of a few miles of cheaper commuter track .Portishead into Bristol for one .Billions of pounds to save half an hour hardly seems worth it