HS2 and the future of British railways

[1andrew1]

The good news is that the Conservatives will find it hard to rail about cancel culture.

[Halcyon]

We are just not efficient in this country. Look at France. They know what they are doing.

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

We are just not efficient in this country. Look at France. They know what they are doing.

A good point: they know what they want, in terms of what is best for their country and their society, and they just get it done.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by ianch99

A good point: they know what they want, in terms of what is best for their country and their society, and they just get it done.

They've a more space and far less planning restrictions. Plus we couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery. Italys equivalent of HS2 is fantastic for getting up and down the country quickly but it's the right nice long shaped country for it. We're too small, particularly if it's just London to Birmingham. Pointless.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news...ytale-27848664

The Government has U-turned on its commitment to reopen the Leamside railway line, just 24 hours after making the massive announcement.

A restoration of the mothballed line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead to Tursdale in County Durham, was included in initial announcements about the ‘Network North’ programme revealed by Rishi Sunak on Wednesday. The Prime Minister pledged to invest in hundreds of transport projects around the North and Midlands, using £36bn he says will be saved by scrapping the northern leg of HS2.

But, just a day later, all reference to reopening the Leamside Line has been removed from the Network North website and the promise seemingly abandoned. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Thursday lunchtime, roads minister Richard Holden confirmed that the Government was simply “committed to looking into” the Leamside Line project…

… On Wednesday, a bullet point list of North East projects included in Network North stated: “The Leamside Line, closed in 1964, will also be reopened.” That web page has now been taken down and there is no mention of Leamside in a 40-page Network North policy document, only a pledge to bring train services to Ferryhill.

In related news

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/202...nine-years-ago

The Government has pledged to extend the Metrolink network in Manchester towards the Airport - despite the fact it was built nine years ago.

It comes as part of Rishi Sunak's announcement to create a 'Network North', using £36 billion saved from scrapping the Manchester leg of HS2 to invest in rail, road and bus services.

The GOV.UK website says the government will improve connectivity in all six Northern city areas, inlcuding: "the extension of the Manchester Metrolink to Heywood, Bolton, Wigan and Manchester Airport and bus rapid transit corridors in Manchester."

Anyone who thinks half the things in that document will ever happen needs their bumps felt. It’s a mixture of things that have already been built, things they have no intention of building, and things they might like to build but don’t have planning permission for, or indeed money to do within the next 10 years.

[jfman]

Where’s OB hiding these days?

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by ianch99

A good point: they know what they want, in terms of what is best for their country and their society, and they just get it done.

I'm not sure about that. The racial tensions in France are not easily solvable (a lesson for the UK).

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I'm not sure about that. The racial tensions in France are not easily solvable (a lesson for the UK).

I was referring above to Infrastructure where they seem to be so far ahead of us. It is not just geography that helps them, they seem to value their "French-ness" over and above what things cost.

Ironically, we value our society less and end up paying more!

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by ianch99

I was referring above to Infrastructure where they seem to be so far ahead of us. It is not just geography that helps them, they seem to value their "French-ness" over and above what things cost.

Ironically, we value our society less and end up paying more!

Is there any solid evidence for your assertion (other than their fiscal deficit)?

[1andrew1]

Looks like the Birmingham to London commuter line once known as HS2 will end at Old Oak Common unless the private sector can help fund the extension to Euston.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67021225

---------- Post added at 23:18 ---------- Previous post was at 23:15 ----------

Originally Posted by jfman

Where’s OB hiding these days?

Probably waiting for the government to finish deleting even more of its Network North commitments before braving this thread.

Time to finally build that East Coast motorway, for a lot less than HS2.

[tweetiepooh]

Originally Posted by jfman

Where’s OB hiding these days?

He is stuck on the 1135 just outside Clapham Junction.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by tweetiepooh

He is stuck on the 1135 just outside Clapham Junction.

It would have been the 11:40.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Mr K

They've a more space and far less planning restrictions. Plus we couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery. Italys equivalent of HS2 is fantastic for getting up and down the country quickly but it's the right nice long shaped country for it. We're too small, particularly if it's just London to Birmingham. Pointless.

There must be a reason why this has gone so badly wrong. The government put up the money and agreed the project, but it’s the civil servants whose responsibility it is to get the specification for the contract right and to set performance measures, and it is also their job to ensure those performance measures (which will include monitoring costs and the progress of the project) are met. This is what appears to have gone badly wrong.

Clearly, if the government changes requirements during the rollout of the project, any additional costs associated with that will be down to them, but those additional costs should be picked up and factored in. The shambles that we are seeing here are replicated in all the contract specifications and performance monitoring in the privatised industries. We should be employing people who actually understand what the hell they are doing when it comes to contract management.