HS2 watch and weep

[Jimbo]

should this be in Abstract chat section?

Personally when i travel on German and swiss trains and see the huge investment they have made then we lag behind badly and am 100% behind HS2

Yes Phil it should be in Abstract chat.

[Sherwood]

I travelled from Kyoto to Tokyo on the bullet train. Very fast and very smooth, but also a bit cramped. Not much space for my Samsonite wheelie IIRC.

[Jimbo]

I don't think HS2 is going to be anywhere as near fast as the Japanese bullet train. We will be lucky if it is actually even faster than what we currently have with all the excuses the rail companies come up with for delays, cancellations and stoppages!

But you will probably pay twice the price for using it?

[struth]

Total waste of money and all for a few nobs
This need for speed etc is a madness in modern society

[Jimbo]

Total waste of money and all for a few nobs
This need for speed etc is a madness in modern society

I agree.

[hifi_dave]

Total waste of money and all for a few nobs
This need for speed etc is a madness in modern society

The reason HS2 is 'faster' than a normal train from London to Birmingham is that it doesn't stop anywhere on the way. It goes from central London to Birmingham, which might be handy if you live in London and only want to go to Birmingham central for 4 x the price. However, i believe they are now considering terminating on the outskirts of London and not going into central London.

So, it's a very specific journey for an awful lot of money. You would do a lot better by going door to door by car, or even taxi. What a total waste of money, they could build dozens of Hospitals for the billions this stupid train is costing.

[Macca]

from pretty much the end of my street I can get a train direct to Euston, takes about an hour and twenty minutes. Not sure how much faster it could be.

Politicians like to have these big vanity projects, means they have got some concrete achievement they can point out in their memoirs. Also means there's tens of billions in semi-accountable taxpayer money washing around so a lot of cronies and party donors can wet their beaks.

We'd be better off with a second M6 IMO. Or even better, not spending the money at all.

[Jimbo]

I think the train from Stafford to London is about 1hour 15 mins without any stops but these are far and few between.

If HS2 does not stop at Euston and they are planning for it to stop on the outskirts of London at some place nobody has heard of will result in more agro getting another train to actually reach the centre of London. You can't tell me this will all be quicker than what we already have from Birmingham.

Total project seems certainly a waste of money and I can't wait to see the astronomical ticket prices they are bound to ask for the privilege of using it!

[Pigmy Pony]

Yeah we don't need em faster, we just need em to turn up when they're supposed to and straightforward fare pricing that doesn't take the piss.

[Macca]

I think the train from Stafford to London is about 1hour 15 mins without any stops but these are far and few between.

If HS2 does not stop at Euston and they are planning for it to stop on the outskirts of London at some place nobody has heard of will result in more agro getting another train to actually reach the centre of London. You can't tell me this will all be quicker than what we already have from Birmingham.

Total project seems certainly a waste of money and I can't wait to see the astronomical ticket prices they are bound to ask for the privilege of using it!

think Stafford is on a branch line. The main line train is regular but the only stops are Glasgow, Manchester, Stoke, Milton Keynes and London Euston.

I used to use it quite a lot up to ten years ago, it was a reliable service although if you didn't book in advance (which I never did) it was £70 return even back then.