High Speed Two (HS2) discussion

[Johnuk123]

That tends to be what executives are paid these days.

You want to go along with this idea of the public sector being run like the private sector, this is what you get.

I don't think many are paid that much.
Sky News seem to think he's one of the highest paid public servants in history.

Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of NHS England, gets £211,000, I don't think anybody in charge of a railway line could be said to be worth far far more.

 

[HSTEd]

I don't think many are paid that much.
Sky News seem to think he's one of the highest paid public servants in history.

Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of NHS England, gets £211,000, I don't think anybody in charge of a railway line could be said to be worth far far more.

Public Service as an idea is dead.

The idea now is to compete with the private sector is pay terms.
The median pay of a FTSE 100 director is apparently £3.2m.

Long gone are the days when people accepted lower pay for the honour of serving.

 

[HowardGWR]

Public Service as an idea is dead.

The idea now is to compete with the private sector is pay terms.
The median pay of a FTSE 100 director is apparently £3.2m.

Long gone are the days when people accepted lower pay for the honour of serving.

So David Higgins is making a magnificent gesture, or he's not much cop then?

 

[HSTEd]

So David Higgins is making a magnificent gesture, or he's not much cop then?

Or considering his background, has already made more money than he can ever spend and is just taking jobs now to avoid becoming bored.

This is hardly typical of most executives these days.

 

[YorkshireBear]

If we want a chief executive who knows what he is doing that is cheap...

 

[deltic]

Public Service as an idea is dead.

The idea now is to compete with the private sector is pay terms.
The median pay of a FTSE 100 director is apparently £3.2m.

Long gone are the days when people accepted lower pay for the honour of serving.

Ah but they got also a Knighthood, a job for live, retirement at 60 and index linked pensions, then a nice job on the Board of a quango. Live is not quite same now.

 

[HowardGWR]

If we want a cheif executive who knows what he is doing that is cheap...

Does he have to be able to spell 'chief'?

 

[YorkshireBear]

Going to play the dyslexic card there and discreetly edit

At least its safe to say i will never been a Chief Executive :P

 

[edwin_m]

Going to play the dyslexic card there and discreetly edit

At least its safe to say i will never been a Chief Executive :P

Didn't somebody get a rollicking for painting "Cheif Engineer" on the side of the New Measurement Train?

 

[NotATrainspott]

Do you think it's likely that HS2 Ltd would let a train manufacturer use HS2 for speed record runs when it's under test? The LGV Est was designed for a maximum service speed of 350km/h and it was host to the 574.8km/h world railed speed record, so since HS2 is built for 400km/h in most places and 360km/h in some others wouldn't this make it an ideal track for beating the record? I suppose the French have the RFF-SNCF-Alstom triad who all work together closely on everything TGV-related whereas we haven't got much of a domestic rail industry left, so there might not be a pre-eminent company to actually do it (Hitachi have their Shinkansen back home to play around with, so might not be particularly interested).

 

[JohnB57]

Do you think it's likely that HS2 Ltd would let a train manufacturer use HS2 for speed record runs when it's under test? The LGV Est was designed for a maximum service speed of 350km/h and it was host to the 574.8km/h world railed speed record, so since HS2 is built for 400km/h in most places and 360km/h in some others wouldn't this make it an ideal track for beating the record? I suppose the French have the RFF-SNCF-Alstom triad who all work together closely on everything TGV-related whereas we haven't got much of a domestic rail industry left, so there might not be a pre-eminent company to actually do it (Hitachi have their Shinkansen back home to play around with, so might not be particularly interested).

For the TGV tests, the catenary tension had to be increased and the voltage raised so although it's an appealing idea, that may present an obstacle.

 

[30mog]

I Have no doubt HS2 London - B'ham is needed. Further north I am not so sure.

My outline of an alternative is: Give The ECML the missing section of quadruple tracks at Welwyn North. Along with track re-alignments to cut out all traffic crossing fast tracks through to York. Whilst a much shorter extension of HS2 ends at the MML between Derby & Nottingham?

Of course those more expert may have looked at this idea. I am wondering what their 'why nots' might be.

 

[HSTEd]

Welwyn is a nightmare, a reconstruction that doesn't require the elimination of Welwyn North could easily cost billions.

I think the cheapest way of escaping the bottleneck is probably a new line about 20km in length that just drops under the valley floor in a tunnel.
The locals would be up in arms about a new viaduct.

 

[The Ham]

I Have no doubt HS2 London - B'ham is needed. Further north I am not so sure.

My outline of an alternative is: Give The ECML the missing section of quadruple tracks at Welwyn North. Along with track re-alignments to cut out all traffic crossing fast tracks through to York. Whilst a much shorter extension of HS2 ends at the MML between Derby & Nottingham?

Of course those more expert may have looked at this idea. I am wondering what their 'why nots' might be.

If the route of HS2 to relieve the ECML isn't needed (which I doubt) then as it is likely to be able to be built separately from the rest it could be put on hold until it is needed.

In the same way that section of the rest of HS2 could be built up to the next junction with the WCML as they were needed (although I think that we may need these to be built faster rather than slower, depending on how passenger growth pans out. As at present we are well ahead of the model)

 

[MidlandMainlie]

Look like the Supreme court ruling on wether an Environmental Impact Assessment should have been undertaken before the decision to proceed with phase 1 is due around 9:45 am tomorrow. Anti's already talking about appealing to the European courts :roll:

Also looking likely the consultation will be extended to 27th February after another parliamentary committee ruling that the consultation timeframe should start again from 2nd Jan, which will delay second reading of the bill until after Easter.

http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/more-news/lords-call-for-second-hs2-consultation-delay-1-5822416

 

[Dave1987]

Some of the anti's on twitter have said they don't care how big the legal bill they tot up is. Why is it so so hard to build any big infrastructure project in this country? Other countries would have phase 1 half built by now.....

 

[HSTEd]

Because we are terrified of simply using Parliamentary Supremacy or the equivalent.

In France they build nuclear reactors because the Government one day announced that they were doing it and that was that.

 

[tbtc]

I Have no doubt HS2 London - B'ham is needed. Further north I am not so sure.

My outline of an alternative is: Give The ECML the missing section of quadruple tracks at Welwyn North. Along with track re-alignments to cut out all traffic crossing fast tracks through to York. Whilst a much shorter extension of HS2 ends at the MML between Derby & Nottingham?

Of course those more expert may have looked at this idea. I am wondering what their 'why nots' might be.

Various reasons why not - one big one being that it'd cause years of disruption to existing lines/ services/ passengers (looking at how the WCML upgrade meant a five-day railway for a few years, meant London - Manchester passengers were diverted onto a much slower service via Leicester etc).

Building an extra two tracks from London to "the North" makes a lot of sense, but it'd be easier/ faster/ cheaper (and probably better) to build a brand new line, rather than building them alongside the existing alignment of the ECML/ MML/ WCML.

Plus, if you're building HS2 as far as somewhere near Derby/ Nottingham then the cost "saved" by not building from Toton to "York" is fairly marginal in the grand scheme of things.

 

[IanXC]

Following feedback from the recent member survey, the forum staff have decided that High Speed Rail justifies its own sub forum, rather than the current situation with most discussion in a single thread which many of you told us you find impenetrable.

We expect to see a range of threads, for example detailing subjects such as the passage of the hybrid bill through parliament, procurement of rolling stock, and one day construction progress. If you would like an existing thread reopened please let us know.

The new sub forum is to be found under Infrastructure, and is called Future UK High Speed Rail.