Baxenden Bank
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Oct 2013
- Messages
- 4,017
If you look at the new lines built in Africa (Kenya: Mombassa to Nairobi and now beyond to Suswa, Ehthiopia/Djibouti: Addis Ababa to Djibouti port), the Chinese certainly get on with the job.
The lines are designed/built to Chinese standards though, so any cost savings achieved through using standard Chinese designs may not be achieved in a UK setting on a line already designed to UK standards. Unless the approved route is kept but the design altered to Chinese standards. The Chinese infrastructure is rather utilitarian, albeit with grand station designs.
Large amounts of imported (Chinese) labour is used. Again apparent cost savings may not be realised for HS2 if existing contractors, and our way of subbing everything, is adopted.
I suspect the Chinese way of getting on with the job would put many noses out of joint, as referred to above, especially those groups used to being consulted about the colour and timing of installation of every screw.
The nature of the routes in Africa differs greatly from HS2 - the density of population/properties near the line, their legal rights, the protection afforded to natural features, the need to accommodate so much adjacent infrastructure/activity without interruption.
I suspect HS2 could indeed be built much quicker and at much lower cost, but there would be a high societal price to pay for those savings.
The lines are designed/built to Chinese standards though, so any cost savings achieved through using standard Chinese designs may not be achieved in a UK setting on a line already designed to UK standards. Unless the approved route is kept but the design altered to Chinese standards. The Chinese infrastructure is rather utilitarian, albeit with grand station designs.
Large amounts of imported (Chinese) labour is used. Again apparent cost savings may not be realised for HS2 if existing contractors, and our way of subbing everything, is adopted.
I suspect the Chinese way of getting on with the job would put many noses out of joint, as referred to above, especially those groups used to being consulted about the colour and timing of installation of every screw.
The nature of the routes in Africa differs greatly from HS2 - the density of population/properties near the line, their legal rights, the protection afforded to natural features, the need to accommodate so much adjacent infrastructure/activity without interruption.
I suspect HS2 could indeed be built much quicker and at much lower cost, but there would be a high societal price to pay for those savings.
