BBC Clicky

So last week the proposed cost would be 32 billion, and now this week with the transport secretary saying that many of the tunnels will be extended to reduce disruption and scenic damage, the final cost will be 32 billion.

Yeah right.

I love paying for things I'll never use.


Well, it can be set as a fixed maximum and declared prior to the bidding process. It just needs the government to make sure all the clauses, caveats and addendums are screwed down tight beforehand...

...yeah, right!

I'd much rather they spent the money getting an affordable 21st century communications infrastructure across the country, and leave the Chilterns alone.

Can we remember the hatred, bile and antimony levelled the the likes of Brunel, who gouged God’s Wonderful Railway through the west country to link up Bristol and London? How about the line from the Midlands to London? Ever wondered why Watford Junction is where it is and not in the middle of the town? It’s because the Earl of Essex, who owned a large area of that part of the country didn’t want the smelly, smoky things running through his land. Watford is the example I am familiar with, there are no doubt many other cases like this around the country.

My point is this - despite the local grumblings at the time, we are now sued to the railway lines being where they are, and we’ll wax lyrical about the way steam trains would weave gracefully through the countryside as if they have always been there. However, at the time, much the same kind of arguments being presented against HS2 were used against other, now older, Victorian built and designed, railway lines.

Paul, I understand what you're saying. Remember, I am a fan of railways, and I think they are still important.

However, I can't honestly see the point of carving a line through an area of outstanding natural beauty to shave half an hour off the journey time from London to Birmingham. It barely benefits anyone in the areas it runs through, and doesn't actually stop anywhere along its route.

As I said, why not spend the £30 billion on building a good solid fibre network across the country, so people don't actually have to travel to meetings? Surely that would benefit the economy much more than letting a few business suits sit in air-conditioned comfort?

This ^

There are far more important things to spend that money on. Plus, with the way rail fares are increasing, by the time this is ready to roll most people won't be able to afford the tickets anyway!! I just think it's a monumental waste of money, at a time when the country can't afford it.

I'd much rather they use some of that money to repair the shocking state of this country's roads.

I wonder if they'll be fitting ERTMS to the line.

*Starts looking for new possible jobs*

Much as I like the idea, I prefer Heather's solution. If we could get the entire country on FTTC, we could actually start 'doing' telecommuting as a nation. That would mean less people on the roads, which would mean repairs would be easier and required less often.

I don't know if £30b would be enough to do that, but it'd be enough to do a damn large portion of it.

Jon

GOOD NEWS! [/brian blessed]

Once the extensions to Manchester and Leeds are built, my brother will be able to travel to visit his relatives in Manchester from London in under 90 minutes. Or he could drive, and take over 4 hours.

Once the direct London - Frankfurt services are sorted as well, it'll be easier and quicker to visit my wife's relatives in eastern Germany by train than by plane. Or we could just use Skype.

Hmm... choices, choices...

A good £8b+ has been diverted from maintaining our road network over the past dozen years or so.

Rule of thumb is: if you leave the surface course unrepaired, it will eventually cost three times as much; to replace the Binder and Base layers.

Factor in the hydrocarbon cost increases over the last two years - yeah, £30b would probably be about right.

I can't see much benefit to it other than the usual 'brown envelope politics'

If this line is for high speed trains only, why haven't they considered a maglev train? Soooo much faster in theory.

It's a huge white elephant if you ask me. It's bound to cost double what they expect and be delayed by several years. These things always are.
They should just spend a fraction of the planned amount on lengthening current platforms and trains.

Wouldn't the cost and energy requirements of maglev be pretty high?

I read somewhere it would be so they can run right through to wherever on the continent.

Don't they have very specific requirements in terms of track runs being exceptionally straight if they're to build up any real speed at all? And then there's the issue of it not being compatible with HS1/TGV/ICE.

If it's only going into Euston, and the continental link is St. Pancras... problem?