HS2 - Birmingham to Manchester scrapped.

[BeerIsTheBest]

A good few posters predicted this outcome. Another stupendous waste of taxpayers cash.

“Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt are in discussions about scrapping the second stage of the HS2 rail project as costs spiral amid severe delays.

A cost estimate, seen by The Independent, reveals that the government has already spent £2.3bn on stage two of the high-speed railway from Birmingham to Manchester but shelving the northern phase would save up to £34bn.”

‘Cost saving‘ is interesting turn of phrase. In my consulting days this would not be classified as saving but ‘cost avoidance.’

I suppose half of the ‘saving‘ can be directed to refurbishing the Houses of Parliament! I read a decision is due on this shortly. Wonder if we will hear anything on this before the next Election?

 

[Blue Llama]

Whole thing a daft idea to start with. What was the potential saving in time? Was it about 15 minutes off a 1 hour journey to Birmingham and 30 minutes of 2 hour one to Manchester?

 

[Dirty Harry]

So where do they plan to end it ?

 

[Kompany Car]

A good few posters predicted this outcome. Another stupendous waste of taxpayers cash.

“Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt are in discussions about scrapping the second stage of the HS2 rail project as costs spiral amid severe delays.

A cost estimate, seen by The Independent, reveals that the government has already spent £2.3bn on stage two of the high-speed railway from Birmingham to Manchester but shelving the northern phase would save up to £34bn.”

‘Cost saving‘ is interesting turn of phrase. In my consulting days this would not be classified as saving but ‘cost avoidance.’

I suppose half of the ‘saving‘ can be directed to refurbishing the Houses of Parliament! I read a decision is due on this shortly. Wonder if we will hear anything on this before the next Election?

They need the money for a tax give away before the next election. They've got to keep themselves in power.

 

[M18CTID]

So where do they plan to end it ?

Harrow and Wealdstone ;)

 

[Hes the left back remember]

Always thought it wasn't as beneficial as made out to be.
They kept talking about this as part of the Northern levelling up project.
The first and most simple thing they can do is give over 60s free travel on bus and tram as they do in London.
They get free travel on bus and tube!

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Always thought it wasn't as beneficial as made out to be.
They kept talking about this as part of the Northern levelling up project.
The first and most simple thing they can do is give over 60s free travel on bus and tram as they do in London.
They get free travel on bus and tube!

Could you imagine what the price of a open peak return would have been?

You could probably fly first class to Sydney for less.

 

[BeerIsTheBest]

They need the money for a tax give away before the next election. They've got to keep themselves in power.

You are probably depressingly right.

HS2 was always headlined as reduction in travel times. In reality it was more about increasing freight capacity up and down the country.

Dont suppose that it such an imperative now seeing as the nasties have destroyed so much.

Not so much to move too and from that smelly area above Watford you see

 

[domalino]

In 10 years people will be looking back at this like Nick Clegg's genius idea to not build nuclear power plants in 2010 because they were expensive and wouldn't come online until 2022.

We need high speed rail infrastructure in this country, and it will never be cheaper to build in the future.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

In 10 years people will be looking back at this like Nick Clegg's genius idea to not build nuclear power plants in 2010 because they were expensive and wouldn't come online until 2022.

We need high speed rail infrastructure in this country, and it will never be cheaper to build in the future.

It wouldnt have been affordable to most anyway.

Zoom has lessened the need for HS2.