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Witham Bobby
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« Reply #1845 on: June 18, 2025, 11:22:18 » |
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A couple of days a week I drive up the M42 and back for work. Sometimes also travel around the Hams Hall area, on the A446.
This area is where the HS2▸ line will have junctions to take trains into Birmingham Curzon Street and out again, on towards Lichfield, where there will be a junction onto the WCML▸
I've watched progress for months and months, building (so far) one overbridge, and mile upon mile of piers for what will be viaducts. I can't help thinking that the job has been specified to include all the "nice to haves", and not kept to the basics. I'm not a civil engineer, but I suspect that viaducts are multiple times more costly than embankments
I just wonder who (if anyone) is in charge of what and how much is being spent on what
The whole thing smacks of politicos not wanting to get themselves a bad reputation on spending or specification grounds, so they've handed it over to an arms length contracting system, without proper oversight. There is no one to carry the can for when things go wrong. everyone concerned can point at everyone else. The story of modern government in the UK▸
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JayMac
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« Reply #1846 on: June 18, 2025, 11:58:04 » |
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An additional £25bn is being thrown into this money pit. Quietly slipped into the Spending Review. Rachel Reeves decided not to mention this massive contribution to infrastructure spending when she gave her speech to the house. I wonder why? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/13/labour-hs2-money-rachel-reeves-spending-reviewThe Chancellor should've cancelled the entire project rather than throw more money at it. The assessment was probably that it's too far gone, not physically but politically, to cancel. What's the scientific name for HS2▸ ? album elephanto pretiosa |
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« Last Edit: June 18, 2025, 20:15:29 by JayMac »
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"Good news for regular users of Euston Station in London! One day they will die. Then they won't have to go to Euston Station ever again." - David Mitchell
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John D
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« Reply #1847 on: June 18, 2025, 12:10:43 » |
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The rescheduling and re specifying things has not only pushed up costs by billions, it has made complete mockery of timescale.
There are you tube videos showing some sections have finished the earthworks and structures and are being landscaped. Only one TBM is now working (at Bromford), all the others have finished. But they have disbanded the crews rather than start the 2 Euston TBMs which are ready to go. Politicians don't understand basic continuity to save money.
There are set of newsletters, and these suggest in next few months many more new bridges will be in use, and the earthworks completed where there are currently old roads and deviations blocking the way.
Of course, big question is what has been gained by having some sections built (ready for fit out ) by mid 2026 if other parts have been deliberately/carelessly delayed upto 5 years
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John D
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« Reply #1848 on: June 18, 2025, 14:16:53 » |
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Timmer
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« Reply #1850 on: June 18, 2025, 17:58:18 » |
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All the billions of pounds that have been poured into this massive white elephant that could have been spent elsewhere on the rail network. One project in particular that comes to mind is the bottleneck at Welwyn that would have increased capacity on the ECML▸ .
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #1851 on: June 19, 2025, 12:00:20 » |
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Trowres
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« Reply #1852 on: June 19, 2025, 21:57:55 » |
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It is interesting to compare HS2▸ with schemes elsewhere.
Denmark's first high speed line (Copenhagen-Ringsted) had a slight head start on HS2, the idea being considered from 2007 (vs. 2009 for HS2). Again, capacity was a primary motivation. Speed aspirations were more modest, with 250kph being considered.
Much of the route runs parallel with motorways. There is some tunneling in urban areas; also some viaducts; but not on the scale of HS2. The work was planned as multiple contracts in the range of Euro30m to Euro200m.
Construction started in 2012 and it was opened in 2019. Operations had a very gradual start due to problems with the ETCS▸ . The route forms an integral part of the Danish network and will, a few years from now, connect to the European network via the Fehmarn Belt link to Germany.
Outturn cost for the 60km double track electrified line? DKK10bn, or about £1.2bn (give or take a bit on the exchange rates)
(edited to correct the name of the link to Germany)
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Sixty3Closure
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« Reply #1853 on: June 20, 2025, 23:31:59 » |
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I was talking to someone who owns a business contracting on HS2▸ . A piece of equipment stopped working so they sent an engineer. The engineer explained that they needed to turn the machine on to see the error code although it was probably a £400 card but the HS2 person refused as it broke safety protocols and there was no one available to manage the change process to allow the machine to be turned on. This went on for a while until HS2 asked if the engineer could install a whole new unit which apparently was allowed and there was a change process for. £20,000 later this was done and as an added bonus the contractor was asked to take the old kit away. He replaced the card for £400 and then sold it for £15K.
I've kept the details vague to avoid identifying anyone but fair to say this was not in a high risk area. It does highlight though that perhaps there's not great financial controls and a culture that doesn't really think about the sums of money being spent or sees spending as an easier way to fix problems than managing them. £20K is probably a tiny part of someone's discretionary spend but repeat this hundreds of times over the course of the project and you can see why costs mount up. Also how dysfunctional is a project if you can swap a machine out but not turn it on to run diagnostics?
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TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
Posts: 6663
The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!
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« Reply #1854 on: June 21, 2025, 17:03:24 » |
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In the Times the other day, I saw Morten Morland's cartoon and thought "TG will like this".  |
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Now, please!
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