HS3 - What's the point?

[martyn20]

'We' have the technology to make fast trains but not the tracks for them to run on, does that make sense?

 

[The Buttery Biscuit Base]

We have the oldest rail network in the world, it really, really is in need some redevelopment, and central government is the only body with enough capital to cover it.

Also, spending money on grand engineering projects is a fantastic way of rejuvenating an economy. Jobs, tax etc.

 

[RexCathedra]

The thinking is that the Northern cities collectively could become something of a counterbalance to London,

There's a similar inspiration behind some plans in Scandinavia.

 

[The Birdman]

From my point of view anything that helps the population stay in the north and provide jobs and eases the pressure on the South East of England to me is a great idea we can't just live off London we need to start producing more and exporting if we ever want this country living within its means. But I would still build the A27 all the way to Dover to Southampton make into motorway and open the Lewes Uckfield line again. What infrastructure do you think we should build first. How about a second runway at Gatwick will this increase the pressure on Sussex/Kent or do we need the Jobs!!!

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

From my point of view anything that helps the population stay in the north and provide jobs and eases the pressure on the South East of England to me is a great idea we can't just live off London we need to start producing more and exporting if we ever want this country living within its means. But I would still build the A27 all the way to Dover to Southampton make into motorway and open the Lewes Uckfield line again. What infrastructure do you think we should build first. How about a second runway at Gatwick will this increase the pressure on Sussex/Kent or do we need the Jobs!!!

But we already have the M27 south-coast motorway in Southampton. It goes to Portsmouth in one direction and about a third of the way to Bournemouth in the other direction before petering out. Sorting Chichester, Arundel and the back of Worthing/Lancing out would greatly ease my frequent journeys to the AMEX during the season.

 

[Stat Brother]

HS3 - What's the point?

The point is HS3 justifies and validates HS2, nothing more nothing less.

If HS2 was universally accepted as a jolly good idea there would be no HS3.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Journey times from Manchester to Leeds and Sheffield are ridiculously slow. At present a Manchester to London train can take as little as 2 hours whereas it takes just over 50 minutes to go the 40 miles or so across the Pennines. If it can be done, then it should. Investment in infrastructure has lasting benefits for future generations.

Probably being a moron here, but couldn't the existing trains just go a bit faster?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Would rather see a High Speed link from London / South Coast to Newquay. Journey times are pitiful .

 

[mikeyjh]

We have to bite the bullet and build more train lines across the board, it's the only way forward. People talk about what 'debt' their grandchildren are going to inherit, I'd be more concerned about that their complete lack of ability to quickly get from A to B.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

If I lived in Leeds I'd welcome the opportunity to be able to get out of the dump quicker.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Made me laugh yesterday- this was being sold as a way to promote investment and development in the north.

Fair enough, you'd think.

Only for all the Geordies to pipe up & start telling the BBC that Manchester & Leeds aren't really the proper north, & moaning because Newcastle hadn't been included.

Can't please 'em all I guess

 

[Hiney]

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/...-link-to-revolutionise-fighting-2014062487924

 

[Iggle Piggle]

We have to bite the bullet and build more train lines across the board, it's the only way forward. People talk about what 'debt' their grandchildren are going to inherit, I'd be more concerned about that their complete lack of ability to quickly get from A to B.

HS2 for example doesn't really help in that matter. I can get from Coventry to London in 57 minutes if I board the quickest train, I think the journey times from Birmingham International (or the new station) will go down to about 40 minutes. That's not a big deal and there will be an additonal price to pay. Then factor in that they would reduce the services an hour from Coventry down to 2 from 3 and I will effectively be worse off given the additional time it will take me to get to the new station will negate the time saved for the new service.

Then when I get to London it still can take me 30-45 minutes at rush hour to get from Euston to Victoria - Red Ken had a plan to link that up in a similar service to Waterloo and City. That's the kind of thing that would really help. Similarly, the journey times and rolling stock you put up with from Brighton to London are a joke. That's also a better spend that HS2 Birmingham to London is already served by 3 different services the most expensive of which is £100+ for a return. I can't see huge usage given it will cost more.

I appreciate HS2 is really about connecting the North but for those of us in the midlands it serves little benefit.

 

[mikeyjh]

HS2 for example doesn't really help in that matter. I can get from Coventry to London in 57 minutes if I board the quickest train, I think the journey times from Birmingham International (or the new station) will go down to about 40 minutes. That's not a big deal and there will be an additonal price to pay. Then factor in that they would reduce the services an hour from Coventry down to 2 from 3 and I will effectively be worse off given the additional time it will take me to get to the new station will negate the time saved for the new service.

Then when I get to London it still can take me 30-45 minutes at rush hour to get from Euston to Victoria - Red Ken had a plan to link that up in a similar service to Waterloo and City. That's the kind of thing that would really help. Similarly, the journey times and rolling stock you put up with from Brighton to London are a joke. That's also a better spend that HS2 Birmingham to London is already served by 3 different services the most expensive of which is £100+ for a return. I can't see huge usage given it will cost more.

I appreciate HS2 is really about connecting the North but for those of us in the midlands it serves little benefit.

I entirely agree, HS2 is a vanity project - Imagine what we could do to all the regional railways with that money. Strangely, I think we're actually reasonably well connected to London from here.

What I could do with is reopening the Guildford line so that I can get the train from Shoreham and then ride the downs link back

 

[The Birdman]

Maybe more cricket fans could get to the test matches in the. North the crowds seem shit

 

[Creaky]

HS2 and HS3 are not all about reduction in travel times but more importantly about capacity.

We need new lines in order to increase that capacity, the fact that travel times on new lines would be shorter is simply because technology has moved on.

Journeys by rail are still less than 10% of the total even though the number of journeys on the train network has almost doubled since the mid 1990s. Encouraging more people to travel by rail rather than road is seen by most as a 'good thing' - not only for environmental considerations but also as the only practical way of reducing congestion on our roads.

If the road network had stagnated over the last 60 years in the same way as the rail network has with the only improvements being better cars, replaced road surface and management to enable more cars to be on the roads at the same time there would have been a huge public outcry before now to build new roads.

 

[The Birdman]

But we already have the M27 south-coast motorway in Southampton. It goes to Portsmouth in one direction and about a third of the way to Bournemouth in the other direction before petering out. Sorting Chichester, Arundel and the back of Worthing/Lancing out would greatly ease my frequent journeys to the AMEX during the season.

That's my point it should not only go West from Amex but should improve it to the East and again it would help the connectivity with the Amex but also improve the job Prospects in the East of the county.

 

[Cian]

Probably being a moron here, but couldn't the existing trains just go a bit faster?

Would fall off the track in some cases.

 

[BLOCK F]

Probably being a moron here, but couldn't the existing trains just go a bit faster?

Like it!
Shovel in a bit more coal,Fred!

 

[somerset]

So Georgie boy is hoping to con the northern electorate that building them a high speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester will make these 'great cities of the north' a global powerhouse. So, are our northern comrades dumb enough to believe him or will they see through the charade? How much quicker do you need to get between Leeds and Manchester? According to National Rail enquiries, 52 mins by train and that includes stops at Dewsbury and Huddersfield or 4 minutes longer by car according to RAC Routeplanner (presumably based on observing the motorway speed limits).

Whats your point?..... is your objection simply because the Coalition proposed it and you couldnt possibly want them to have any good idea?.... or have you a genuine stock of evidence that the whole thing is a con, as you seem to be pointing out.