HS2 - Birmingham to Manchester scrapped.

[Mike N]

You only need to travel abroad to see what an absolutely crap train system we have. Another example of British Exceptionalism.

 

[maccieblue]

freight should be moved at night, same with the post airplanes.

I agree, but the nightime capacity is obviously full freeing up the capacity in the day time should "in theory" reduce transport costs

 

[dickie davies]

Possibly between London and Manchester it might not be cost effective
But there is not enough capacity to cope with the existing freight trains on the west coast and East Coast main lines. Last year I stayed in a hotel in York next to the railway line and all night every 30 mins a freight train went past

If you have 60 trucks of a product to shift from one single point to another, then yes the train works, but that scenario is only a very small fraction of the freight being moved
Hs2 is all about a Cameron/Osborne legacy and a bit of prestige for a city that has a high speed rail line
It's yesterday's technology that if ever completed would almost be obsolete

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

I agree, but the nightime capacity is obviously full freeing up the capacity in the day time should "in theory" reduce transport costs

once every half hour doesn't sound full.

 

[Mr Kobayashi]

You only need to travel abroad to see what an absolutely crap train system we have. Another example of British Exceptionalism.

Even down to the trains themselves. The double deckers in continental Europe piss all over even the best of our newer trains (GWR SW-London) for comfort and space.

 

[maccieblue]

You only need to travel abroad to see what an absolutely crap train system we have. Another example of British Exceptionalism

If you have 60 trucks of a product to shift from one single point to another, then yes the train works, but that scenario is only a very small fraction of the freight being moved
Hs2 is all about a Cameron/Osborne legacy and a bit of prestige for a city that has a high speed rail line
It's yesterday's technology that if ever completed would almost be obsolete

HS 1 in Kent and London has been a success.
As I've already stated freight capacity is full on both East and West cost main lines so the demand must be there admittedly probably not to and from Manchester but at the moment the west coast line as far as crewe is still at maximum capacity day and night

 

[Kompany Car]

Have no problem with them stopping the northern section as long as the majority of the money still gets spent on infrastructure in the north.
Quite a lot of the work on HS2 was going to form part of the rail improvements been made for the Northern Powerhouse. If HS2 gets canned then that work around Crewe and on the approach to Manchester still needs doing or Northern Powerhouse Rail won’t achieve its goal.
In relation to a better link between Manchester and Sheffield I see that they have also done away with constructing a new Trans-Pennine tunnel as it’s too hard, which would have given an alternative to the M62, the proposal also included a rail link into the north side of Sheffield.

 

[maccieblue]

once every half hour doesn't sound full.

There has to be a distance between each train especially heavy freight. I would imagine they take some stopping at full speed. But yes you might be able to get more trains per hour

 

[Kompany Car]

Even down to the trains themselves. The double deckers in continental Europe piss all over even the best of our newer trains (GWR SW-London) for comfort and space.

Old infrastructure is the issue. The trains have to fit the gauge clearances and through the tunnels ,most of which were built over 100 yrs ago.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

There has to be a distance between each train especially heavy freight. I would imagine they take some stopping at full speed. But yes you might be able to get more trains per hour

stick 'em all together, job done.