HS2 - who's going to build it?

[qzdcg8]

Well - the race is on! The DFT have kindly dumped super accurate track plans and schematics for the newly announced HS2 at this location.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highs ... ltd/route/

No excuse for some hardy route builder NOT to build it! Question is, can it be done before 2017?

[davejc64]

Well if the NIMBYS ( Whose main objection seems to be that it doesn't benefit them.) have there way, no!

[timenec]

I doubt it will ever be built.Firstly there is no money as this country is bust.Secondly there are two routes already available to use;the Chilterns route from Marylebone/Paddington and the old GC,upgrading and rebuilding respectively will be much cheaper and environmentally less damaging.Euston is probably running close to full capacity so where will the additional platforms be built and the additional paths provided?(Crossrail has the same problem as there are no spare paths on the GWML between OOC and Maidenhead).The problem as usual with this country is that politicians,not experts are not in charge of specialised matters so sensibility is subsumed by politics.These are the same politicians who readily voted through the Beeching report!!

[jbilton]

..............The problem as usual with this country is that politicians,not experts are not in charge of specialised matters so sensibility is subsumed by politics.These are the same politicians who readily voted through the Beeching report!!

Well not ATT... but maybe they will be .... after the general election.
Personally I think that public money needs to have someone controlling it .... and that someone needs to be an elected person.
Unless of course this railway is going to be truly private.

Cheers
Jon

[AndyUK]

..These are the same politicians who readily voted through the Beeching report!!

Surely most of them are dead by now.

Andy L

[jbilton]

..These are the same politicians who readily voted through the Beeching report!!

Surely most of them are dead by now.

Andy L

I'm guessing TimeNec was talking about their political view, stance, position ... rather than actual people...

Cheers
Jon

[plewsy2105]

hi all

i hope that HS 2 is NOT built as it passes very close to were i live at the moment i curently work at the buckinghamshire railway center and guess what HS2 is going right through our car park.... then on to the old great centeral line a line which we plan to build our extension on and with out this extenstion the buckinghamshire railway center will be no more

plewsy2105

[AndyUK]

....HS2 is going right through our car park.... then on to the old great centeral line a line which we plan to build our extension on and with out this extenstion the buckinghamshire railway center will be no more

Looking at the maps at the link in the first post it doesn't look as bad as you say. Which part of the Great Central trackbed is the Railway Centre hoping to use?

Andy L

[plewsy2105]

the line down to calvet we are in talks with network rail about it

[AndyUK]

Isn't that the section currently used for the binliner trains? The diagram below the map at this link: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highs ... /map12.pdf shows the existing line being re-aligned to make room for HS2 so hopefully you might still be O.K. in the long run.

Andy L

[plewsy2105]

hence the problem chiltern railways want to use the route i belive so if that happens we still get no trackbed unless HS2 is scraped (which looks possable due to the cost) its a a great shame realy

plewsy2105

[timenec]

Thank you for reading my mind Mr B.The railways should be publicly owned and run by proper railwaymen with them advising the politicians.

[phill70]

Thank you for reading my mind Mr B.The railways should be publicly owned and run by proper railwaymen with them advising the politicians.

Could not agree more.

[davejc64]

The truth of the matter is if we have a change of government like the media would like and so, are predicting then it definitely won't get built. And since no one will try to prove the media wrong there is nothing for the NIMBYS to worry about.

[MuzTrem]

Wow. I decide, on a whim, to poke my nose into this forum this evening, for old times' sake. And I find that everyone's still Tory-bashing and lamenting the demise of the under-funded dreariness that was British Rail. It's reassuring to know that some things never change

As for HS2, I also live in Buckinghamshire, and I won't lie, I am genuinely concerned about the impact it will have on our beautiful countryside, which is already under threat from the unstoppable expansion of London. But I still don't want the NIMBY lobby to block this route, because I never lose sight of the fact that the continuation of the horrendous practice of internal flights (with which this new line will be able to compete), more damage will be done to the environment in the long run.

And plewsy, stop worrying, the BRC doesn't need to run to Calvert to survive. They can look at other options, like the Brill Tramway, or even running towards Aylesbury. Or they can just continue to do what they've always done a good job of, presenting their collection at Quainton Road itself. TBH, personally I'd be far more enthusiastic about seeing them put their resources into restoring the wonderful collection of vintage coaches they have there rather than re-opening a not particularly interesting section of line.

(And yes, for saying that I will put something in the collection tin next time I'm there...)