Live data from Hacker News

More delays for Euston's HS2 station

ianvisits.co.uk

61–70 of 143 posts

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#61
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The opposition always have 100% access to all Government spending. It is publicly published. It’s pathetic Westminster politics and Parliamentary privilege that allows both sides to make lies like ‘it’s worse than we thought’.

> [you don't have] access to all the details when you’re not in government When I wrote this I was not talking about accounting details , though I am not sure whether all of those details are really publicly available once you get down into the delivery organisations and projects that inevitably get set up for something like HS2. What I was getting at is that this kind of project is hugely complex, and develops fast…

Agreed. Cabinet (and other) meeting details are generally private, and an FoI request rarely gets anything that's not redacted. There is a vast amount of information in the public domain regarding HS2, and 'vast' is the problem to both the last Government and this one.

Which single person can read and be fully clued up a modern UK infrastructure project? Our infrastructure planning needs an overhaul.

The Lower Thames Crossing is worse than HS2, far worse, and it's not much more than 10 miles.

https://www.cityam.com/lower-thames-crossing-planning-applic...

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#62
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>war on drivers I guess it's true what they say: for those accustomed to privilege, equality is aggression.

Nice attack there, if a little ignorant. The only people being forced of the road are the under-privileged, those who can't afford electric vehicles by ULEZ, those who can't afford maintenance with poor roads, skyrocketing insurance, high fuel prices, ever increasing taxes, unfair parking charges for those using polluting Diesels who we encouraged and subsidised to buy them a few short years ago, and those who rely o…

ULEZ is a London specific thing where you have already admitted there are great alternative transport options.

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#63
post #51
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Britain is not a tiny island. its the ninth largest in the word and is a lot bigger than Java (population of 156m BTW) and is only a little smaller than Honshu. The cities of the north are not dying. Some are doing badly, some are doing well. its not a given that what they need most is better links to London- better links between northern cities might do more.

It's good that you compared us to Honshu because the Japanese have managed to build a high speed line connecting both ends of that island, with a lot less drama. Whereas we have a high speed line that doesn't even go to the centre of our capital city.

lmao

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#64
post #46
post #42

I dont understand how HS2 is not the number 1 priority to link the dying cities of the north to london, its important to have good communications, its such a tiny island anyway. Get a grip, and make the line extend to the northern territories, that was literally the whole point.

Britain is not a tiny island. its the ninth largest in the word and is a lot bigger than Java (population of 156m BTW) and is only a little smaller than Honshu. The cities of the north are not dying. Some are doing badly, some are doing well. its not a given that what they need most is better links to London- better links between northern cities might do more.

Interesting points thanks, I still disagree on your final point, however I agree more train links needed.

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#65
post #46
post #42

I dont understand how HS2 is not the number 1 priority to link the dying cities of the north to london, its important to have good communications, its such a tiny island anyway. Get a grip, and make the line extend to the northern territories, that was literally the whole point.

Britain is not a tiny island. its the ninth largest in the word and is a lot bigger than Java (population of 156m BTW) and is only a little smaller than Honshu. The cities of the north are not dying. Some are doing badly, some are doing well. its not a given that what they need most is better links to London- better links between northern cities might do more.

Several of the better links between Northern cities were dependent on HS2 — either directly, by providing rail links where none currently exist, or indirectly, by freeing up space on existing lines to allow more local and regional services.

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#66

To be honest I think with a lot of policy issues in the UK at the moment you need to just give the government a bit of time to breath. Sunak's decision making on HS2 was bizarre bad long term/short term/pragmatic/polcitical. It was just one of those bizarre moments where he had sort of a correct aim and then changed that aim into "How can I cause as much damage as possible". So the current policy is extremely expensi…

I have a relative working on HS2. During the pandemic he was on zoom calls with five thousand people, none of whom were 'navvies'. He is car dependent, never uses the train and that money spent on HS2 to hire him has been spent on German cars and airline flights.

If I was in charge of HS2 I would get the thousands that shuffle spreadsheets to get pickaxes out and build the whole thing going all the way to Birmingham and beyond to Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#67
post #42

I dont understand how HS2 is not the number 1 priority to link the dying cities of the north to london, its important to have good communications, its such a tiny island anyway. Get a grip, and make the line extend to the northern territories, that was literally the whole point.

Whitehall doesn't believe in ROI in the north and it's been that way for decades and decades. Well, that's they excuse they use anyway

Birmingham got lucky as it's just feasible enough to turn it in to a commuting city for London but other cities are too far

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#68
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Britain is not a tiny island. its the ninth largest in the word and is a lot bigger than Java (population of 156m BTW) and is only a little smaller than Honshu. The cities of the north are not dying. Some are doing badly, some are doing well. its not a given that what they need most is better links to London- better links between northern cities might do more.

Several of the better links between Northern cities were dependent on HS2 — either directly, by providing rail links where none currently exist, or indirectly, by freeing up space on existing lines to allow more local and regional services.

Such as?

Re: More delays for Euston's HS2 station

#70
post #43

To be honest I think with a lot of policy issues in the UK at the moment you need to just give the government a bit of time to breath. Sunak's decision making on HS2 was bizarre bad long term/short term/pragmatic/polcitical. It was just one of those bizarre moments where he had sort of a correct aim and then changed that aim into "How can I cause as much damage as possible". So the current policy is extremely expensi…

The old HS1 boss, said the main problem with HS2 goes was the government publicly announced the budget for each contract and the bidders bid... you guessed it right at the maximum of each contract. HS1 never announced any budget for any contract, so lots of bids came in way under what the government was prepared to spend, hence came in well under budget. I seem to recall that was also due to infrastructure 'transpare…

The problem with stopping at Old Oak Common is that it would likely worsen end-end journey times for the many passengers travelling to destinations not well served by Crossrail.

Euston/Kings Cross/St Pancras are all next door to each other and collectively busier than any other rail station in the country. They are not connected to Crossrail so anyone connecting on from there (Eurostar, east coast mainline, west coast mainline) would be required to make two additional changes, a pain with luggage. And anyone going to Norh or South London on Thameslink, Northern or Victoria lines would have to make an additional change.

Post reply on HN