HS2 - Birmingham to Manchester scrapped.

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

Well colour me surprised…

This government is fucking rubbish, charlatans and sadly it’s looking like the incoming one next year won’t be much fucking better as they seemingly are also towing the “cost” lines being trotted out.

No shit massive national infrastructure projects cost money. Just fucking build it, it’s needed, we can afford it and don’t let any of these cunts tell you otherwise.

The UK is basically at the point it can’t build a few hundred fucking miles of railway line, embarrassing.

There has to be something bigger playing out here (don't ask me what!).

This gets leaked before the Conservatives land in Manchester in a weeks time - no chance they will have been wanting the entire conference being obliterated but this surely?

Shapp's reasoning (does he wear a hair piece?) doesn't stack at all - surely the benefits of connecting the North and releasing the congestion on the normal routes down the spine of the country etc have only been heightened by Brexit / COVID etc etc meaning there would be even more need and benefit to see the original project through?

Surely Labour confirm that they will build the entire thing from start to finish and they win the next GE at an absolute canter.

Even folks that weren't 'pro' HS2 in the North will probably still want to ensure that the government actually sees through one of its promises to the north part of the country.............

 

[Churchlawtonblue]

Between Middlewich and Northwich the old salt mines have been repurposed to become the UK's largest underground gas storage facility and HS2 was planned to run right along the length of it

Pretty sure they were stable enough, with minimal settlement to build over the top.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Birmingham will benefit hugely from HS2. Birmingham claims to be the 2nd City.

I'd say London has a better claim to that title.

 

[BeerIsTheBest]

The other selling point was meant to be around severely reducing the need for domestic air travel, with the subsequent environmental benefits.
In France, the development of the TGV network has made their internal airline "Air Inter" surplus to requirements.
Obviously, in the UK, there will always be the requirement to fly to Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Aberdeen, Inverness and the Scottish islands. However, the days of domestic flights from the North of England to London were meant to be numbered.

You are correct Staffs. I remember reading an article a while back that laid out how, in the face of consistent challenges from those that questioned the HS2 cost or environmental case, the gvmt and supporters began to invent more and more creative reasons to support it. Reduction in air travel was one as you rightly point out.
The description I recall was ’like hanging more and more baubles on a Christmas tree.’
it can’t be easy constructing an accurate case for such a big infrastructure project but they are miles off. Everybody involved is responsible but nobody will be accountable. The losers as always is us gammons who continue to pay our taxes and accept the crap.

 

[Kompany Car]

Two massively different projects

Technically Crossrail was much more challenging. Tunnelling across parts of London, lots of very complex interfaces to manage etc. HS2 was needlessly made more complicated than was necessary due to the route being designed by committee. Lots of limitations were imposed by politicians due to pressure from voters and nimbys in the home counties so that they didnt lose votes.

The french pretty much draw a line and build the railway we fuck about for ages trying to satisfy every individual.

If they do cancel it, I would hope that the money is ring fenced for the north, as once again we've been short changed after being promised the so called Northern Powerhouse which now seems dead in the water.

 

[hallsteve62]

The whole plan for the H2S scheme just stinks of rotten eggs…

I see what you did there!

 

[grunge]

Well colour me surprised…

This government is fucking rubbish, charlatans and sadly it’s looking like the incoming one next year won’t be much fucking better as they seemingly are also towing the “cost” lines being trotted out.

No shit massive national infrastructure projects cost money. Just fucking build it, it’s needed, we can afford it and don’t let any of these cunts tell you otherwise.

The UK is basically at the point it can’t build a few hundred fucking miles of railway line, embarrassing.

We really don’t need HS2 tho. The travel routes are pretty decent between London-Manchester and London-Leeds etc, the time savings suggested really are not that good compared to what we have now (Although when checking just now the suggested times seem to be far more optimistic that they were at the start, when it was said to be about 30 mins faster, now saying 54 )

Personally what we really need is a far better Liverpool-Manchester-leeds-Newcastle line.

 

[TinFoilHat]

We really don’t need HS2 tho. The travel routes are pretty decent between London-Manchester and London-Leeds etc, the time savings suggested really are not that good compared to what we have now (Although when checking just now the suggested times seem to be far more optimistic that they were at the start, when it was said to be about 30 mins faster, now saying 54 )

Personally what we really need is a far better Liverpool-Manchester-leeds-Newcastle line.

I Suspect that will be the pre election pledge when they announce HS2 cannot go any further than Birmingham as the Tories are happy to take northern votes for fuck all in return.

 

[Kompany Car]

Personally what we really need is a far better Liverpool-Manchester-leeds-Newcastle line.

That was the vision of the future for Northern Powerhouse Rail. Not to Newcastle but certainly a link from Liverpool all the way to Hull on upgraded lines running at higher speeds. Not quite sure why anyone would want to go to Hull but that was the plan.

This relied on Transpennine being done in its original envisioned form. Guess what ...it hasn't, descope after descope.

The grand vision was for HS3 to link Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds on a new rail corridor but that went in the bin in 2021 and was destined to go there as soon as the Tories had convinced people in the North to vote them in for another term back in 2019.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

That was the vision of the future for Northern Powerhouse Rail. Not to Newcastle but certainly a link from Liverpool all the way to Hull on upgraded lines running at higher speeds. Not quite sure why anyone would want to go to Hull but that was the plan.

Surely the point of the Hull upgrade is to enable people to leave it more expeditiously!