Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

Wheeling his mrs out to say he's great was a bit special
A billionaire popping in unannounced to tell everyone how hard her husband is working, while so many are on the breadline.
Unnecessary.

They are all tossers

I hope if they are given a hammering at the election the opposition parties shape up and start acting in some sort of unwritten deal to keep them out

Dreadful bunch of chancers

[Bluebirdman Of Alcathays]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

One of the positives for HS2 was that it would relieve the congestion on the other lines, thus aiding the whole service. Seems like they're going to smarten up the other lines without doing anything about the capacity issues.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

Like Brexit, I don't think any of us average Joe's are in a position to evaluate the benefits and disbenefits of such projects, the cost of not doing them and any alternative options that would be better value for part of the money. One thing that I do think though, is that such decisions need to be cross-party - as they are very long-term and they shouldn't be at the mercy of a different colour of government a year or two down the line and further governments thereafter.

[JamesWales]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

Wheeling his mrs out to say he's great was a bit special
A billionaire popping in unannounced to tell everyone how hard her husband is working, while so many are on the breadline.
Unnecessary.

It was pretty American, like when Michelle Obama would regularly speak. Clearly helps to drive home the 'loving husband's etc image.

I did find it a little odd, but not unpleasant in any way.

[JamesWales]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

If I were to go from Birmingham New Street to Manchester tomorrow, it would take me 1hr 28mins.

Don't get me wrong, clearly shaving half an hour off that is half an hour I could be doing something else, but is that really a priority? Is that really the biggest transport need in this country?

Electrification, dialling of tracks, skipping stations, faster trains, taller bridges etc etc..all of that is good. And High Speed Rail is good too, but not at any price.

I'm struggling to think why people would really need to get between the centres of two very different cities in two very different parts of the country quicker than in an hour and 28 mins, esp when in most cases you can work on trains if so desired and you could easily lose 10-15 mins in a taxi or car either side of the stations anyway.

Like I said, they need to bake in these new projects and do it sharpish but I think it's the right decision.

Will be interesting to see if Labour propose to reverse it in their conference next week

[ninian opinian]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

If I were to go from Birmingham New Street to Manchester tomorrow, it would take me 1hr 28mins.

Don't get me wrong, clearly shaving half an hour off that is half an hour I could be doing something else, but is that really a priority? Is that really the biggest transport need in this country?

Electrification, dialling of tracks, skipping stations, faster trains, taller bridges etc etc..all of that is good. And High Speed Rail is good too, but not at any price.

I'm struggling to think why people would really need to get between the centres of two very different cities in two very different parts of the country quicker than in an hour and 28 mins, esp when in most cases you can work on trains if so desired and you could easily lose 10-15 mins in a taxi or car either side of the stations anyway.

Like I said, they need to bake in these new projects and do it sharpish but I think it's the right decision.

Will be interesting to see if Labour propose to reverse it in their conference next week

Are these new projects being completed before or after the building of the 40 new hospitals?

The joking Prime Minister who wasn't even a full ranking cabinet minister at the time of the 2019 election and is 20 points behind in the polls just gets to cancel the country's largest infrastructure project, which his party's manifesto committed to completing.

They deserve and will get absolutely annihilated in the next general election.

[superfeathers]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

It was pretty American, like when Michelle Obama would regularly speak. Clearly helps to drive home the 'loving husband's etc image.

I did find it a little odd, but not unpleasant in any way.

It felt strange to bring her into the fold at all, because when her taxes were being discussed he seemed to take issue with her being involved in his political life.

[Eric Cartman]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

Is the uk able to actually follow through and deliver anything on schedule?

It isn't just about shaving time off a journey, it is also about capacity. But from a travel time perspective, it feels like the uk is small enough to be 'open' and easily/quickly navigable.

I was death scrolling looking at the USA on Google maps and it dawned on me that one of the main advantages the uk has is that everything is pretty close together. It shouldn't be beyond us to be able to navigate top to bottom, vice versa and across in a morning and at a reasonable cost, but for some reason it is.

This isn't a choice between local transport and Intercity transport, this is a defining moment for this 13 year conservative government, it proves that even left entirely to their own devices, without outside interference, blockers or barriers, they are incapable of delivering.

Sunak attempting to rebrand cancelling long term projects and plans as 'making long term decisions' is laughable and initial polling suggests this messaging isn't even working with traditional conservative voters.

[cyril evans awaydays]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

It felt strange to bring her into the fold at all, because when her taxes were being discussed he seemed to take issue with her being involved in his political life.

Perhaps his potential successors (sorry fellow Cabinet members) made themselves unavailable to declare his brilliance?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

It felt strange to bring her into the fold at all, because when her taxes were being discussed he seemed to take issue with her being involved in his political life.

What a chancer

Typical tory

Send him to the tower

[jon1959]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

They should have started building HS1,2,3 /northern powerhouse thingy in the North as that's where the investment was needed most. Instead the government have looked after themselves and the South, by concentrating on the London to Birmingham line then scrapping the rest.
They wanted to level up,but have just increased the gap instead.

Agreed.

[JamesWales]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

I don't know why construction started from the south but it's probably because it was historically planned that way and then land bought up on that route. Whatever the reasoning it won't be to 'look after the south'.

By definition a rail link connects two places. It benefits both. It will still be quicker to get between London and Manchester in future.

Surely the decision today benefits far more northern communities, no? What about the vast majority of people who aren't looking to pay premium fares to get to London half an hour or so quicker?

[JamesWales]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

North Wales Mainline to be electrified..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66994801

[The Bloop]

Re: Revised HS2 Is the government right or wrong?

North Wales Mainline to be electrified..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66994801

I'll believe it when I see it.
Remember 10 or 11 years ago when they promised electrification to Swansea ?