HS2 in the press

[Chris125]

I see Theresa May has confirmed her commitment to HS2 in a recent letter to Camden Council:

http://news.camden.gov.uk/download/...resamaytocllrhaywardleaderofcamdencouncil.pdf

 

[WatcherZero]

Reading through the new Network Rail Freight strategy, there seems to be a hint in there that HS2 while rejoining the WCML alignment south of Wigan would be grade separated from the other WCML lines until leaving Wigan North Western station northwards. It also talks about adding more terminal platforms to Wigan in the long term, grade separating Euxton junction, four tracking Wigan-Preston also seperately in the medium term line speed improvements through Wigan (I think that's referring to most freight traffic today using the fast line through North Western rather than the slow line).

 

[HSTEd]

Four tracking North of Wigan or constructing a new two track railway on a different alignment, according to the copy of RAIL I glanced at a few days ago.

Which means one of three things - you could build a dedicated HSL and leave all local traffic on the existing alignment, you could build a dedicated freight line and leave all passenger trains on the local alignment, or you could build some sort of passenger dedicated line for all passenger traffic and leave only the freight on the existing route.

I actually lean towards the latter two options, with a preference for the latter since it effectively becomes a Shinkansen.

 

[The Planner]

Would be a brand new passenger line, a new freight line would never wash its face.

 

[snowball]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...efore-key-decision-on-high-speed-rail-project

The boss of HS2, the company behind the UK’s planned £55bn high-speed rail network, has announced he is leaving just weeks before the transport secretary is expected to make a key decision on the controversial project’s future.

Simon Kirby, who reportedly earns £750,000 a year as chief executive at Europe’s largest infrastructure project, is to become chief operating officer at the engineering firm Rolls-Royce.

 

[eMeS]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...efore-key-decision-on-high-speed-rail-project

Does he know something... ?

 

[WatcherZero]

Yes, that he can get 6 times his £750k HS2 salary as COO of Rolls Royce. The previous COO received a salary of £6.22m including bonuses in 2014.

 

[midlandred]

BBC News says:

The boss of the controversial HS2 rail link is leaving to take up a senior post at Rolls-Royce, the aerospace and engineering group has said.
Simon Kirby will take up the role of chief operating officer, reporting to chief executive Warren East.
Mr Kirby has earned a reported £750,000 salary at HS2, which will link London with the Midlands and northern England.
He said it had been a "huge honour" to work on the project, which critics say threatens swathes of countryside.
HS2 Ltd said it would miss Mr Kirby's "experience and leadership", while Rolls-Royce boss Mr East said the appointment would "strengthen management capability ahead of a period of significant expansion".
But Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin accused Mr Kirby of "getting out before the true scale of the mess he has presided over is realised".
"The departure of Simon Kirby will be a serious blow to those who champion HS2, though many of us are at a complete loss to see just exactly what it is he has done to justify his three-quarter of a million pay packet."

 

[NotATrainspott]

Four tracking North of Wigan or constructing a new two track railway on a different alignment, according to the copy of RAIL I glanced at a few days ago.

Which means one of three things - you could build a dedicated HSL and leave all local traffic on the existing alignment, you could build a dedicated freight line and leave all passenger trains on the local alignment, or you could build some sort of passenger dedicated line for all passenger traffic and leave only the freight on the existing route.

I actually lean towards the latter two options, with a preference for the latter since it effectively becomes a Shinkansen.

Would be a brand new passenger line, a new freight line would never wash its face.

The HS2 Scotland report suggested that HS2 West would link into the WCML at Coppull, not Bamfurlong, and then the WCML would be four-tracked to a grade-separated Euxton Junction. This sounds easier to deliver and with bigger benefits than adding another slow pair of tracks through the middle of Wigan.

 

[deltic]

BBC News says:

The boss of the controversial HS2 rail link is leaving to take up a senior post at Rolls-Royce, the aerospace and engineering group has said.
Simon Kirby will take up the role of chief operating officer, reporting to chief executive Warren East.
Mr Kirby has earned a reported £750,000 salary at HS2, which will link London with the Midlands and northern England.
He said it had been a "huge honour" to work on the project, which critics say threatens swathes of countryside.
HS2 Ltd said it would miss Mr Kirby's "experience and leadership", while Rolls-Royce boss Mr East said the appointment would "strengthen management capability ahead of a period of significant expansion".
But Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin accused Mr Kirby of "getting out before the true scale of the mess he has presided over is realised".
"The departure of Simon Kirby will be a serious blow to those who champion HS2, though many of us are at a complete loss to see just exactly what it is he has done to justify his three-quarter of a million pay packet."

The BBC is becoming more absurd in its position of trying to be seen as impartial. Why does it feel it has to quote Joe Ruskin who has a following of virtually no one on anything to do with HS2. Ruskin peddles the usual contradictory line that this is a disaster for HS2 while at the same time in effect saying he Kirby didnt actually do anything when he was there.

 

[miami]

The BBC is becoming more absurd in its position of trying to be seen as impartial. Why does it feel it has to quote Joe Ruskin who has a following of virtually no one on anything to do with HS2. Ruskin peddles the usual contradictory line that this is a disaster for HS2 while at the same time in effect saying he Kirby didnt actually do anything when he was there.

False Balance, it's the obvious next step after you remove journalists.

 

[Phil.]

The BBC is becoming more absurd in its position of trying to be seen as impartial. Why does it feel it has to quote Joe Ruskin who has a following of virtually no one on anything to do with HS2. Ruskin peddles the usual contradictory line that this is a disaster for HS2 while at the same time in effect saying he Kirby didnt actually do anything when he was there.

He was chairman of a railway that only existed on paper. What did he do?

 

[The Planner]

He was a figurehead more than likely, much like the CEO of any company, what did you expect him to do?

 

[edwin_m]

The BBC is becoming more absurd in its position of trying to be seen as impartial. Why does it feel it has to quote Joe Ruskin who has a following of virtually no one on anything to do with HS2. Ruskin peddles the usual contradictory line that this is a disaster for HS2 while at the same time in effect saying he Kirby didnt actually do anything when he was there.

It's Rukin. Ruskin would have been a bit more, er, poetic in his criticism.

 

[Phil.]

He was a figurehead more than likely, much like the CEO of any company, what did you expect him to do?

Well for £375,000 of taxpayer's money a year at least make the coffee.

 

[TheKnightWho]

He was chairman of a railway that only existed on paper. What did he do?

Do you think HS2 Ltd. sit around twiddling their thumbs?

 

[najaB]

Do you think HS2 Ltd. sit around twiddling their thumbs?

Indeed. All those pointless, baseless, NIMBY objections and challenges aren't going to answer themselves!

 

[Phil.]

Indeed. All those pointless, baseless, NIMBY objections and challenges aren't going to answer themselves!

What, so he's a £375,000 year correspondence clerk?

 

[swt_passenger]

It's Rukin.

Someone else who makes a living off HS2 without actually achieving anything. Seems to be a good business plan for him...

 

[najaB]

What, so he's a £375,000 year correspondence clerk?

No, he's the £375K a year head of an organisation that has been prevented from 'getting on with it' because they are bogged down dealing with pointless, baseless, NIMBY objections and protests.

 

[WatcherZero]

£900m Birmingham Curzon regeneration project signed off today. 4000 new homes and extending the tram line to the HS2 station.

The money is coming about 25% from Westminster, 25% from the combined authority and 50% from the LEP through borrowing against future tax.

At the same time £1.5m each for Man Pic, Man Air and Leeds to produce similar plans promised in the last budget is now being recieved.

 

[TheKnightWho]

What, so he's a £375,000 year correspondence clerk?

Do you think that he just has to write a polite letter now and again? Or do you think it might be overseeing extensive and comprehensive reviews into each and every objection?

 

[WatcherZero]

According to Osborne in the Northwich Guardian the phase 2 route is currently planned to be published in November.

 

[work-traveller]

According to Osborne in the Northwich Guardian the phase 2 route is currently planned to be published in November.

Well there're the consultation drawings that are already available.

 

[deltic]

Well there're the consultation drawings that are already available.

There have been some major and minor changes since then - all the stations on the eastern leg for example have been altered to some degree

 

[caliwag]

A cautionary tale from the excellent lowtechmagazine.com

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2013...are-killing-the-european-railway-network.html

 

[najaB]

A cautionary tale from the excellent lowtechmagazine.com...

This is where I started to doubt the conclusions of this article:

The introduction of a high speed train connection invariably accompanies the elimination of a slightly slower, but much more affordable, alternative route, forcing passengers to use the new and more expensive product, or abandon the train altogether.

HS2 is definitely going to complement the existing network, not replace it.

 

[miami]

How did non hs1 services from Kent fare when the domestic high speed services started? Have they been cancelled?

 

[The Ham]

This is where I started to doubt the conclusions of this article:

The introduction of a high speed train connection invariably accompanies the elimination of a slightly slower, but much more affordable, alternative route, forcing passengers to use the new and more expensive product, or abandon the train altogether.

HS2 is definitely going to complement the existing network, not replace it.

If you use mainland Europe as your case study, then that is a fairly logical conclusion, however High Speed Rail is normally used as a way to improve journey times to attract more people to use the route.

The big difference in the UK is that the existing lines are very full and the new HS lines are going to have several trains an hour serving broadly the same places, rather than several times a day, or even week.

The other thing is that there will be serval large settlements (some with over 200,000 people) who will still require access to train services and so there will still be financially reward operating train services to them.

 

[Class 170101]

Daily Mail on Wednesday reporting Full Steam Ahead for HS2
https://twitter.com/BBCNews

Unfortunately I'm unable to paste the image here from twitter

Also mentioned albeit briefly on BBC Papers tonight.