redhotchick Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I'll start with...I don't know much about this AND I don't think I am anywhere close to the current proposal. I'm shocked that the proposal is to take so long to implement. The long term nature of the plan makes me wonder why? Does it really take that long? Or is this the proposal already envisioning lengthy legal cases and objections? Perhaps I should have said, firstly, do we really need it? We are a tiny country after all. The time to travel from London to Edinburgh is (mostly) less than five hours. I just pick that as a long distance, and that doesn't seem like a long time to me. There are a lot of lorries on the roads these days. Perhaps better use of the existing rail lines for cargo would be a better investment? I'm not against development, but not sure I see the sense in this? I have no political agenda, but I am interested in the views of Omleteers, I think there is a good mix of views represented here across a broad sweep of the nation. I'd love to hear what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Leia Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 OH has views on this. Having seen the plans today, we are within 3 miles of the route. Don't have a problem with it, quite honestly. As he says, it's about time we proved we can still do engineering projects properly in this country. The bigger problem is ths cost/benefit. It just doesn't stack up. If you make it accessible to all, there will be too many stations, andbthentrains won't be able to operate at their design speed. If you don't make it accessible, then a very small minority will use it at a very high ticket cost. As you said, this country isn't large enough to justify it. The motorways are a good analogy - motorways should link regions, not towns and cities. The reason that there are so many jams on motorways, is that there are too many junctions allowing local traffic on. Same thing could happen with HS2 if pressure groups get their way. The other thing is to remember that the cost will spiral. First rule of Government spending - work out your budget and double it, and you'll get a figure that's half as much as the final cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 most large scale public sector development in the UK take at least 10 years before they get to the ground braking stage and as HS2 is going through Brum it'll probabley get s"Ooops, word censored!"ed by the next Goverment anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I would like to have seen some money spent on small lines linking small towns and county towns passing close to some villages. I've been on some in Europe. Nothing fancy, they don't need big stations. I just have a dream that everyone could pop on a train and get somewhere easily and quickly. I feel that because Britain is so small that an efficient network would cut down the traffic. HS2 is just about business and economics. It's about selling Britain to the world, which if we leave EU is probably a good idea. It will pass relatively close to us but I don't think that will affect us enormously. I can understand people's reluctance to have it cut through their beautiful countryside when they know it serves no practical purpose for them. I assume they've planned something like wildlife corridors. In Europe you see bridges going over the motorway that are woodland strips, do we have those here? Those are my very incoherent thoughts, it was bit of a battle to organise them this early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinsk Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Have just looked at the plans, it's going to pass within a stones throw of my parents house and completely plough through the farm where I keep my horse, it's going to completely tear through our local countryside all to get to London and hour earlier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 it's kind of a moot point for me, lliving in manchester - basically it'll have 5 years of appeals processes, building commencement in 10 years, 10 years to actually build, I'll be pretty much retired by then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 I've just had a look at the detailed route proposed. https://www.gov.uk/hs2-phase-two-initial-preferred-route-plan-and-profile-maps I am surprised how close to me it will be. I didn't think I'd be affected. I definitely will be, by the construction, if nothing else. I don't think the cost benefit analysis adds up. Unless someone can persuade me otherwise, I'm out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Have just looked at the plans, it's going to pass within a stones throw of my parents house and completely plough through the farm where I keep my horse, it's going to completely tear through our local countryside all to get to London an hour earlier! I'm not convinced you would get to London an hour earlier anyway, taking into consideration getting to the destination station. Is anyone strongly in favour of this project? Patsylabrador - I think investment in more local projects would be good too. I would happily get the train to work, I used to when I lived near a train line that had trains every 15 minutes and got me to my destination in 20 minutes (once I was on the train) My current train route to work, the trains run every hour and take an hour. I'm sure investment in this route would greatly enhance usage. It's not really practical for me. (Although it did take me an hour and forty five minutes to complete a 40 minute car journey today ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinsk Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 My current train route to work, the trains run every hour and take an hour. I'm sure investment in this route would greatly enhance usage. It's not really practical for me. (Although it did take me an hour and forty five minutes to complete a 40 minute car journey today ) Quite similar for me too. I'd quite happily get the train to work, the station is 5 minutes away with loads of free parking and then it would be a 5min bus journey from the station to office with busses every few minutes. But the train journey takes an hour and would cost £20 per day. In the car it takes 40-60 mins depending on traffic. If that route was improved I'd definitely use it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 It will be fairly close to us and will ruin some very nice villages and landscape. I think we need to sort out our current rail network and roads with the billion or so it will cost to build it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 It will be fairly close to us and will ruin some very nice villages and landscape. I think we need to sort out our current rail network and roads with the billion or so it will cost to build it! Lillybettybabs the cost is an estimated £32 BILLION An incredible amount of money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 So many natural habits will be destroyed all for getting to London that bit quicker..... When you can get to London fairly quickly from anywhere anyhow I agree, sort out the local rail services first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovemarmite Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 i am very near the first part of this, its a stones throw from us. I have always had the view that if they can come up with a good enough reason why we need it in the first place and why putting it there rather than anywhere else is the best place then so be it. But to me it falls at the first hurdle. Can't see the benefit to anyone except a label to the rest of the world to say look what we can build. bring back all the brannch lines after beeching.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I don't have a problem with it... I used to think these business men that needed to get to London on a daily commute should rent rooms all week or fly, but fares are very expensive and rents are always going up. A new high speed train is only going to save min utes really when you add up the total travel time. If property in the south was affordable the commuters could afford to move. Dozens of stops on the way won't permit the train to get up to max speed so is it really going to get you there quicker ? If the worries turn out to be fact then what a waste of money it will have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 It's not going to affect me as A its nowhere near me and B I do t really use rail travel. That said, if it is going to cost at least £32 Billion!!! surely it would be best to spend those funds, if they are indeed available, on the current rail system to make it more efficient then they might not even need to spend it on a whole new rail line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Leia Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 £32 Billion equates to £1,212 for every household in the whole of the UK. That includes all of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and all the outlying areas that won't gain any practical benefit from it. It's just not worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I also don't see the point. I'm not in a pretty village but I back those who are and are affected by what will be happening. I certainly don't see the point in digging up huge swathes of countryside and chopping historical communities in half just to build this thing. I live close to, and occasionally use the cross city line in Birmingham. By 8am in the morning there are already problems and delays. As others have already said, use the money to invest in local rail services (including re-opening old local lines), this will help the existing lines run smoother, surely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 We are about a mile from the loop where the line heads into Leeds. I cannot see any benefit that will outweigh the monetary costs, and certainly none that outweighs the impact this proposal is having on peoples' lives. A friend lives on an estate which will be close, very close, to the line. Those whose homes are less than 60m away will apparently be compulsorily purchased. Her house is 70m away. Several of her neighbours have called local estate agents, to get their homes valued so they can consider whether to sell or not... The agents will not provide even a valuation, saying that they will not market their homes as lenders will not provide mortgages until the route is finalised. That could be ten years from now, with people trapped should they want, or need, to sell. We are thankfully not so near, but our whole area will be affected by the line, the construction and the effect on property prices. All in the name of 'progress'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Interesting article on this subject especially in light of the discovery of King Richard. link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
