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5056  All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / New First service to provide missing link in North Somerset on: August 29, 2013, 11:28:41
The Bristol Post reports that a new bus service is to start in November, linking the A38 to the A370, and outlying villages to the railway.

Quote
Bus service provides 'missing link'


By The Bristol Post




Thursday, August 29, 2013



A NEW bus service linking bus and rail routes in North Somerset aims to make life easier for commuters.

The new service, operated by First, will provide bus connections between villages and could in future include a flexible "demand responsive" route, where passengers can request that their nearest bus stop is served as and when needed.

The service will connect the A38 and A370 corridors, interchanging with the existing X1 bus service at Congresbury and Backwell and service 121 at Langford and Bristol Airport. It will also allow connections with rail services at Yatton station and early morning journeys from Worle station.

The proposed timetable will operate an hourly loop in both directions, linking the villages of Langford, Congresbury, Yatton, Claverham, Backwell and Bristol Airport, offering unique journey opportunities for commuters and daytime passengers.

North Somerset Council executive member for transport, Elfan Ap Rees, said: "This new bus service will provide the missing link for people in the central part of North Somerset who want to travel around the area and connect to work and leisure opportunities in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare."

North Somerset Council has received funding through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, which aims to improve public transport links.

The service will start on November 4 and operate Mondays to Saturdays, between 5.30am and 6.30pm.
5057  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles on: August 29, 2013, 10:55:35
being an alumni of a junior, rather than prep, school,

Was Latin available at your place of secondary education?

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2012/04/26/why-youll-never-be-an-alumni/

 Tongue Wink Grin

Mea culpa, Sir, I meant almnus. That mistake would probably have got me beaten, and might still if the fearsome Mr "Spud" Murphy is a member of this forum.. Sic transit Gloria Swanson. Schoolboy error from a man who was top in Latin every term. Until the hormones kicked in.
5058  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles on: August 28, 2013, 21:44:31
Ironically I can remember at prep school the headmaster giving a stern warning after some pupils had been caught putting pennies on the line to get them squashed. I say ironic because until he mentioned it I had never thought of straying onto a railway line!

Me neither, although being an alumni alumnus of a junior, rather than prep, school, I could only afford to put halfpennies, and only under second class trains.
5059  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles on: August 28, 2013, 20:33:47
Come September, the papers may have news to publish. Children have played on railways for almost 200 years in the face of advice to the contrary from "grown-ups", with a sad toll of killed and maimed to show for it. Sensationalist pictures and stories like this run the risk of starting a league table amongst the young people of wherever, who may not appreciate fully the danger they put themselves in. BTP (British Transport Police) and Network rail do much to try to inform the yoof of today, and to put them off such shenanigans, but there is no telling some people. Worse, they may not be aware that an oncoming HST (High Speed Train), as seen from dead ahead, grows slowly on the eyeball until the last moment, and cannot stop suddenly, and even less that a smaller commuter train, whilst smaller and slower, will still hurt.

5060  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion on: August 28, 2013, 10:36:20
I may have given the impression that I'm off the fence as far as HS2 (The next High Speed line(s)) is concerned - I'm not. For visceral rather than logical reasons, I'll probably wait for Adonis, McLoughlin and FT, N! change to change their minds before I join the anti camp.

Having said that, I do hope HS2 limited are just keeping their PR (Public Relations) powder dry at the moment - because they don't seem to be on the front foot. It is very frustrating that when the press gives blanket coverage to the risible Dr BeechWellings, HS2's response seem to be a muffled whimper.

You can cross me off the list, because if Adonis and McLoughlin decide against it, I shall trample the weak in the rush to grab a parachute. My opinion is largely informed by theirs.

Like Electric Train, I don't think a PR offensive by HS2 would do any good at all. The detail of the project is theirs to explain, the vision behind the route and the justification for it is entirely the responsibility of Government and DafT. This a Government requirement, answering a need identified by Government, and paid for by the Government on our behalf. They have work to do when Parliament reconvenes, and other major distractions may occupy MPs (Member of Parliament) for some large part of the first session
5061  Journey by Journey / Swindon to Gloucester / Cheltenham / Re: Swindon to Kemble re-doubling - ongoing discussion and updates on: August 27, 2013, 22:49:59

The offending wagon was in the naughty siding at Kemble at the weekend (24/25 August):

Grin Grin

I like the way they put a coach in it to stop it rolling away again.

Brilliant! That response had me guffawing, FT,N.

Not an ideal thing to do with a leccy fag in yer gob.  Grin

The concept of a "naughty siding" had me clutching my sides, and Mrs FT, N! wondering what was wrong with me.
5062  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion on: August 27, 2013, 22:43:38

A poll with 1,323 respondents is actually quite good. The ICM's, YouGov's and Ipsos-MORI's of this world tend to canvas around 1,000 people when seeking opinion on political matters. And that is 1,000 out of an adult population of over 50 million. 1,323 out of 35,000 is, I'd contend, much more statistically robust.

As a sample of a random or carefully selected cross section, yes it would be. As a poll of members of a society composed of members with identical job titles, and no-one else, it tends to suggest that 96% of the members didn't think it worth bothering to answer, didn't know, or weren't around to be asked.
To find out how the survey was done, including whether it was a poll of all members or just a sample, I had a look at their website, finding that:

Quote
The IoD» (Institute of Directors - about) surveyed 1,323 members online between 1st and 11th August.
 

I must admit to being little wiser about the import of the results after looking at the press release. This tells me that:

Quote
In August 2011 a survey of IoD members found 54 per cent rated HS2 (The next High Speed line(s)) important to their business. This figure has now fallen to 41 per cent, illustrating how businesses see high-speed rail as a lower priority than it was two years ago.

So although only 27% of respondents felt that HS2 was good value for money, 42% see it as important to their business. This presumably means that a significant number of IoD members think that even though they don't support it, they are still willing to engage with HS2 to make money.

I also find that:

Quote
Overall, 80% think that investment in existing intercity rail services is important or very important, while 73% say the same of commuter rail networks and 68% of tube/metro/tram networks.  

 By contrast, 41% think that investing in new high-speed rail links is important or very important.

Patrick McLoughlin was right. Had this project not been tarred with the brush of a high-speed moniker, support for HS2 (or HC2 as it might be called, the C-word in this case being 'capacity') would have been 50% higher. Had the money been earmarked for another 10-year campaign of disruption whilst the WCML (West Coast Main Line), ECML (East Coast Main Line), and others were upgraded yet again, four out of five directors who expressed an opinion would have approved.

Or if it were possible to have your cake and eat it, the IoD would be at the front of every queue, plate thrust outwards. Or at least 72%* of them would be.

(*That figure was plucked out of thin air. 67% of statistics are made up on the spot)
5063  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion on: August 27, 2013, 21:49:49
That's a good point, Red Squirrel. Not only is there not much coming out of parliament, but the MPs (Member of Parliament) who aren't on fact-finding missions in the Caribbean are at home, doing their own thinking without aides or whips (well, parliamentary whips, at least - what goes on Summer recess stays on Summer recess).

Good point too, Gordon the Blue Engine. Gallup polls and the like are often conducted with a sample of 2,000 or so to represent the whole 60 million of us. But they are a chosen cross-section, and are asked an open question. The members of the IOD are presumably all directors, and may not have had such detached neutrality in the survey.

The IOD report tends to suggest that they have made a couple of fundamental mistakes. The first lies in repeating the IEA's figure of ^80 billion, when the directors of HS2 (The next High Speed line(s)) Ltd assure us that they can work within the ^42 billion budget, plus rolling stock. The second mistake is to assume that the prime purpose is speed, when those of us who have been paying attention know that it is capacity. If I was a director of a manufacturing or engineering company, or even something peripheral transport or catering, I would be looking to see if there was anything in the project that I could tender for rather than poo-pooing the whole shebang.

The Bristol Post, on seeing this bandwagon rolling past, jumped right onto it. With typical Post-like accuracy, they tell us that:

Quote
The rail line from Paddington to Bristol is due to be electrified - cutting 20 minutes of the journey - at a cost of around ^800,000 per mile or ^5 billion in total by 2016.

This means the Post either a) does not know where London is; b) can't divide; or c) didn't check its facts by reading then Transport Secretary Philip Hammond's statement of 1 March 2011, which put the cost at ^704 million. I suspect a combination of all three.

I will continue to fight HS2's corner until Lord Adonis and Patrick McLoughlin change their minds. We have waited 26 years since the first announcement of GWR (Great Western Railway) electrification, and the cost will be much higher than it would have been in 1977. As I said earlier, if we need capacity now, we will need it even more in 20 years time, and will suffer economically for the lack of it. Costs must be controlled at every stage, but the signs are that that is happening. The final specification should be chiselled in granite, because changes in design during construction are the source of higher bills. HS2 Ltd, like its project, must be capable of surviving a general election on its merits, not political expediency
5064  Journey by Journey / Swindon to Gloucester / Cheltenham / Re: Swindon to Kemble re-doubling - ongoing discussion and updates on: August 27, 2013, 12:36:34

The offending wagon was in the naughty siding at Kemble at the weekend (24/25 August):

Grin Grin

I like the way they put a coach in it to stop it rolling away again.
5065  All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: First Bus service changes in Bristol from 1 September 2013 on: August 26, 2013, 23:59:57
Thanks for posting this Lee.


In addition to this the route around Bishopston is also changing, with amends made to counter problems that buses have had with parked cars occasionally blocking the route. From September buses will operate direct along Cranbrook Road and Upper Cranbrook Road offering customers a much simpler route. Clare Avenue, King's Drive and Bishop Road will no longer be served but customers should be able to use stops on Cranbrook Road and Kellaway Avenue instead.


I have no doubt that this makes sense from an operational viewpoint, but I can't help wondering why the alternative - a couple of dozen cans of bright yellow paint, applied to the roadside in the familiar 'parallel lines' arrangement - was not used.

I used to live in Bishop Road, and used the 20 from time to time. With certain drivers, the ride down Clare Avenue was like a trip to Alton Towers. The turn into Bishop Road was at one time very difficult - that was alleviated with a "Keep clear" painted on the ground. The rest of Bishop Road often had cars parked both sides, but that didn't block the road, just slowed the bus down. I think the real reason is operational expediency. There was at one time the numbers 21 and 22, offering minor variations on the route around that area, all gone for probably the same reason.
5066  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion on: August 26, 2013, 11:06:18


So, Brennard Farm in the Forest of Bowland, Lancs, then?



Nice place. I used to take Sunday afternoon motor bike rides around the Forest and the Trough of Bowland.

EDIT: I have now read through the Pete Waterman piece. He may have given us Kylie Minogue's "I should be so lucky", but there is some good in the man, even so.

He makes points that should be coming from Government, rather than record-producing rail enthusiasts. There are rumours flying around, about the massive effect on communities that are exaggerated or just plain wrong. The same goes for the cost, leading the Labour party to announce a ^50 bn cap on the project. Whether, if they win power in 2015, they will be able to keep to that figure is a moot point, because no-one knows what will happen to the costs of materials, or what snags will be hit, or what a whole lot of other things will do. It is a good move to make it obvious that costs will not be allowed to rise uncontrollably. Previous projects have had a tendency to cost whatever the budget is, plus 10% or more. I think government in all its guises is getting better at managing that aspect, and there is greater cause for optimism on the financial front. Plus, Chief Executive of HS2 (The next High Speed line(s)) Alison Munro said:

Quote
"The current budget is ^42.6bn for the infrastructure and ^7.5bn for the rolling stock. We are absolutely determined, and the government is too, now to manage the project within that cost envelope."

The new budget included a ^14bn contingency fund, she said, but HS2 Ltd was "determined" not to use it.

As to the value of the project itself to the national good or bad, I simply don't have the knowledge or expertise to offer an opinion independently, so rely on reading the experts' views as impartially as I can. In doing so, I look not just at what is being said, but at who is saying it, and his previous track record. I place greater value on the views of Lord Adonis, Patrick McLoughlin and Pete Waterman than I do on the utterances of Alistair Darling mainly because of the latter's timid attitude to rail projects, and over-obsession with costs. Rail projects are hugely expensive, but tend to give real benefits far beyond the projections assumed in planning. The possible exception to that is the Channel Tunnel, where more optimistic forecasts needed to be used for political expediency, but even now, there is talk of building another.

Come what may, we will still need to transport people and goods around the country in 20 years time. In the post-Beeching era, we built roads rather than railways, and watched them fill up as soon as the ribbon was cut. In the post-post-Beeching era, we realise that roads can cause as many problems as they solve, and we are turning again to building railways. Railways are sustainable, according to Waterman and the CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England). By that, I assume he means that they cause less damage than roads for the quantity delivered, are more energy efficient, and can use a variety of forms of generating motive power. No-one is suggesting that we reopen every line, but surely HS2 would not have gained the support it has if it were nothing more than a political vanity project?

I have a suggestion for Patrick McLoughlin. He needs to demonstrate that HS2 will not simply suck up all the available money for transport. There is no better way to do this than to bring forward some other much-needed rail projects. In my local area, I suggest Portishead, improvements to capacity on the Severn Beach line, and on Filton Bank, of course, Four Track, Now!
5067  Journey by Journey / Swindon to Gloucester / Cheltenham / Re: Swindon to Kemble re-doubling - ongoing discussion and updates on: August 25, 2013, 20:26:41

Have you not heard about the migratory habits of the lesser spotted F27 sleeper?


I hadn't, but now you say that I suspect that it is actually caused by changes in the refractive index of ballast caused by increased levels of chlorophyll in the local environment - this could easily reverse the polarity of the neutron flow in the sleepers, even at that distance from Cardiff.

And there was me. thinking it had been put there by skilled operatives from BR (British Rail(ways)).
5068  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion on: August 25, 2013, 11:44:52

I have a huge respect for Andrew - he's a former secretary of state for Transport and from initial concerns when he came to that role, he rapidly gained a very great deal of respect in many quarters. 

And so have I. My respect increased as I read the article, and thank you for the link, grahame. The New Statesman is not my chip-wrapper of choice.

Lord Adonis showed that he is more than just a political animal when he took the transport portfolio. His tour of Britain by train, and the subsequent published musings served to show that he has knowledge, passion, and pragmatism in the correct proportions, and was a safe pair of hands for such a crucial role. He is a skilled communicator, and is not afraid to point out the earlier failings of his own party.

I am also developing respect for Patrick McLoughlin, and not just for his humble origins. The arguments he made after the Darling outburst are exactly the ones made by the noble lord. He speaks for the coalition as well as the Conservative party, and despite Lord Adonis' criticism of the slow pace of action, and his gentle dig about Labour having much to do in 2015 to get the project firmly established, there is clear unanimity at the top level of the three parties. 

So a project with more history than the Labour announcement in 2010 was called in by a cash-strapped coalition looking for big savings, examined by a Tory grandee and still found to be essential. This episode shows just how much transport policy has to rise above politics. If I ever get the chance to found my National Infrastructure Authority, I shall ask Lord Adonis and Patrick McLoughlin to head it.
5069  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion on: August 25, 2013, 10:46:14
My concern over HS2 (The next High Speed line(s)) now is not the cost, most accept its going to be in the order of ^40B +- the odd ^10B (ish), the real risk to HS2 is politicians posturing in the lead up to the next general election they all see it being fought on low public spending so none of them will want to commit to large price tag public items,

Exactly my point. We either need a new railway or we don't, and the evidence is firmly that we do. Not building something would be irresponsible, since the need would not go away, so would need to be done another day, and will inevitably cost more.

Is it a large price tag with marginal BCR (Benefit Cost Ratio)? The cost will not be evenly spread over the years of planning and construction. Land acquisition will be done at the start, and will be a sizeable chunk. Phase 2 is planned to be up and running in 2033, so the annual cost, if the whole costs ^70 billion, will be ^3.5 billion. The risk is clearly of spiralling costs eating up resources so that this becomes the only railway project in the country, and that would be awful. But Network Rail is proving to be better at managing costs than Railtrack before it, and projects are being finished on time and on budget more and more these days than before. That gives me hope that the total cost will not come as a shock, whatever it is. Planning for other projects can then be done with this in mind.
5070  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: HS2 - Government proposals, alternative routes and general discussion on: August 24, 2013, 23:35:39
This will be a long post, so sorry in advance. I'll try to stay firmly on track, but there are a couple of big quotes.

No shovel has yet turned a single sod in the HS2 (The next High Speed line(s)) construction, and already there is political trouble afoot. The project has hitherto enjoyed cross-party support within the coalition and the Labour opposition, as it had done when Labour was in government. The coalition called in the plans in 2010, but the task before Lord Mawhinney was not to decide whether or the not the scheme should proceed, but whether it should route not from Euston to Birmingham, but from St Pancras via Heathrow, something the Conservatives in opposition had argued for. IMO (in my opinion), the depth of the consensus on the need for a new route is adequately demonstrated by the result of the Mawhinney review. Though he had been transport secretary under John Major, his review supported the route put forward by HS2 Ltd, the company formed under Lord Adonis to develop the project.

Cross-party agreement is essential for a project of this magnitude, as it was with the Olympics. Without it from the get-go, I do not think we would have made it as far as we have by now. Planning and construction will take the lifetime of at least four governments. The Edinburgh tram system shows the perils. The previous Labour Scottish administration started the scheme in the face of hostility from the SNP opposition. It is only going ahead now because cancellation would cost more than completion (or because the SNP secretly always thought it made sense, but didn't want to be blamed if it went wrong). No-one would risk starting a project costing tens of billions if he thought it would be cancelled after years of work. Uncertainty causes delay and expense, as it did with Edinburgh, Crossrail and the Great Western electrification, announced and cancelled at least twice, though thankfully unstoppable now.

There have been grumblings from the back-benches, particularly those MPs (Member of Parliament) with rural constituencies that will be bisected, but not served, by the line, but support has been strong at higher levels until now. Alistair Darling, former Chancellor and Transport Secretary, took to the Times to argue for cancellation.

Quote
HS2 must terminate here. All change, please
Alistair Darling

 Last updated at 12:41PM, August 23 2013

 I can no longer back high-speed rail. There are better ways to spend ^50bn than on one line


 The great economist John Maynard Keynes is reputed to have said: ^When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do sir?^

 We might ask the same question today. When it comes to HS2, the high-speed rail link from London to the Midlands and the North, the facts have changed. The projected cost has risen from about ^30 billion in 2010 to ^50 billion in July this year.

 In the past few days it^s been reported that the Treasury now believes the cost could top ^70 billion on just one railway line. To put this in perspective, the Department for Transport spends about ^9 billion a year on all capital projects, including roads, rail and other public transport.

 It is time to revisit the case for HS2.

 I am an enthusiast for the railways. By the time I left the Department for Transport in 2006, Britain^s railways were carrying more passengers than at any time since 1947. This was down to hugely increased investment by the last Labour Government.

 The railways were starved of investment from the late 1980s while the Conservative Government delivered a botched privatisation. We virtually rebuilt the West Coast Main Line, got rid of postwar rolling stock, improved the London Underground and finally gave the go-ahead to Crossrail.

 All this, however, depended on a commitment to maintain investment year-on-year and for decades to come. HS2 runs the risk of substantially draining the railways of money vital for investment over the next 30 years.

 My experience in government also makes me suspicious of big projects that can easily run out of control. In the Department for Work and Pensions it was IT. In transport the useless Railtrack had a plan to upgrade the West Coast Main Line that would have cost more than ^14 billion, and rising.

 It assumed that we could switch from trackside signals to onboard signalling: a technology that was still in development and untested at the time. The costs were eventually cut to ^8 billion by using tried and tested technology. The result was reduced journey times all the way to Glasgow.

 Politicians are always excited by ^visionary^ schemes. One thing I have learnt is that transport, rather like banking, is at its best when it is boring. That is when it tends to work. Political visions can easily become nightmares.

 So what is the case for HS2? The most compelling argument is that we will need increased capacity between London, the Midlands and the North West. That is true. But there are also severe capacity problems on commuter lines, particularly in the South East.

 And why high-speed trains? Certainly it^s handy to cut the journey time between Birmingham and London by half an hour. But at what cost?

 The economic benefit that is claimed will come from this is highly contentious. The business case depends on an assumption that passengers aren^t productive ^ that is, that they don^t work on the train. That may be true on a commuter train but not on long haul intercity services. Arguably, more work is done on the train than in the office.

 It is also claimed that we would then have a high-speed network, building on the existing link between the Channel Tunnel and St Pancras station in London. But this new line doesn^t link with St Pancras. Nor does it go to Paddington, which connects with Heathrow. Instead it goes to Euston, an already congested station.

 Then there is the cost. This is ^50 billion on current government estimates that can^t then be spent on upgrading the East Coast Main Line, the route to Bristol and South West or the lines out of Liverpool Street to East Anglia. Nor can it be put towards improving the much-needed links between cities outside London. Put it another way. If you gave England^s biggest cities ^10 billion each for economic development, would they spend it on HS2?

 The English regions have lagged behind London and the South East and Scotland in terms of growth. They could well do with ^50 billion of investment. I^d guess that they would spend it on smaller scale investment, on housing or transport.

 It^s not just the railways. Road improvements are needed too, as well as spending to upgrade bus services and cycle routes.

 And if we do want to be visionary, why can^t we decide what we are to do with Heathrow now instead of halfway through the next Parliament? Certainly if we spend ^50 billion on HS2 there will be no money for transport links to the proposed Boris Island or to any other new airport.

 The next Government and the one after that will be very short of money to spend on the infrastructure that we desperately need. To commit ourselves to spending so much on a project that rules out any other major schemes seems foolish. And the costs are not yet nailed down.

 The facts have changed. The case for HS2 was just about stateable in 2010. I don^t believe that it is today.

 It is not too late to revisit the project. We need to ask ourselves what we would gain if it goes ahead. Equally we must then ask ourselves what we will have to lose. Politics is about priorities. That will be especially so in the coming years.

The effect of this volte face is potentially enormous. Darling left front-bench politics after the Labour defeat in 2010, to spend more time with the Buds of May. His voice remains a big voice. Only two other people served in the Cabinet continuously throughout the Blair and Brown premierships (Gordon Brown and Jack Straw). Ed Miliband and Ed Balls are quoted as saying they support HS2, but will not do so if costs spiral. Two Eds may be better than one, but this is equivocation, surely.

Patrick McLoughlin has led the charge to shore up the project. He is quoted in today's Times:

Quote
Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, had earlier denied that crossparty support for the 225-mph line was weakening. ^The Labour Party are very much in support of HS2 and certainly when I met the core city leaders where HS2 will serve, all of them Labour Party members, they are very much in support.^

 He added: ^This scheme is very important to the infrastructure of this country and all big infrastructure projects are controversial. No doubt Alistair Darling knew that when he signed it off as Chancellor of the Exchequer.^

 Mr McLoughlin denied Mr Darling^s contention that HS2 would drain resources from other rail investment for the next 30 years, insisting that the Government was committed to putting billions into electrifying 880 miles of track over the next five years.

 ^The simple fact is Mr Darling says that it would be a nightmare if we do HS2. It would also be a nightmare if we didn^t do HS2 because what we have seen is a massive growth on our railways over the past 20 years.^

My own view is that they are both right, but McLoughlin is much more right than Darling. I say this even though my general political stance is closer to Darling's than McLoughlin's by a good cheap-day return.

Darling talks about "visionary" projects being glamorous, but says that transport works best when it is boring. I know what he means, but he has got it wrong. If a new railway is a necessity, then it ceases to be visionary unless the proposed vehicles are powered by Dilithium crystals or anti-matter. The high speed aspect could be visionary, but it makes perfect sense to me, at least, to future-proof and get the maximum benefit from the new line. I find support for this view from McLoughlin, again in a Times interview, this time from 22 June:

Quote
^One of the things I regret is that it^s been called ^High Speed 2^ it^s not primarily about speed. It^s about capacity and how do we carry on with the growth we are seeing on the railways. If you are going to create more capacity, you may as well build the best and go for a high-speed version as opposed to a traditional rail.^

Darling's view is more cautious, more small-c conservative. It is the same caution that scrapped the Bristol tramway and gave us instead a half-assed road building scheme in the Trojan horse of Metrobust. Darling, remember, was the man who agreed with Atkins' suggestion to rip up the Severn Beach line for a busway. He also turned down Manchester's Metrolink extension, although he relented in the face of the campaign of obstinacy that was mounted. The success of the latter two shows that he was wrong in those instances.

Darling says correctly that the business case for HS2 is crucial. This approach is exactly what got us Metrobust in Bristol rather than improvements to public transport, but he has a point. He destroys it by saying that people are productive on trains because they can work during the journey. He doesn't mention that they can't if the have to stand outside the toilet for the whole journey because of overcrowding. Capacity, not speed, is the clever bit of HS2. More people will be able to work on trains if it is built, because there will be more of them.

The cost is a bit of a red herring. On a project of this size, we will probably only be able to estimate the full cost about two years after the route is complete. Any figures quoted now will be the roughest of guesstimates. This is not to say that we should not control costs - far from it. Every stage of the route should be scrutinised with an intense scrute, and every best practice implemented.

On the terminal matter, the proposal is to use the former Curzon Street station. It was originally called Birmingham Station, but was renamed in 1852 as other stations opened. Although the Grade 1 listed former entrance is the only building to survive, the area has not been heavily developed since closure in 1966. It was then used as a Parcelforce depot until 2006. Birmingham City University have (had) plans for a new campus using some of the site, and Birmingham City Council planned to refurbish the entrance hall for rental to a quality tenant. iIt is, BTW (by the way), the oldest surviving example of monumental railway architecture in Britain. Continuing the line to New Street, Moor Street, or any other station would involve considerable demolition and/or tunneling, plus significant enlargement of the chosen station to reduce congestion. Birmingham Curzon Street ceased to be viable for passenger use because of being on the eastern edge of the city, giving rise to traffic problems even in the 1850s. It ceased to be a major interchange when New Street opened in 1854, but ceased passenger use in 1893. It has my support as the new terminus, but will need links to the other nearby stations.
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