High Speed Rail 2 - Whittington Heath

[MegaSteve]

Sadly, HS2 [along with the third runway] will, I believe, happen...

Been an awful lot of 'works' happening on the Chiltern line [route for HS2] near me over the last two years... Way more than you'd expect for a branch line...

Listening to Jack Straw today it seems there is a good deal of support for the scheme in the north...

Hopefully I am wrong...

Ruislip will be the first course to be effected should HS2 happen but as it's 'only' a muni I don't suppose there's too much concern...

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

sadly? why? there is no alternative infrastructure that will give us a joined up UK? No HS2 to B'ham and M'chester - and there will be no high speed link to points north.

 

[MegaSteve]

sadly? why?

Because of what's going to be lost to the local communities with no obvious gains to those communities..

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Because of what's going to be lost to the local communities with no obvious gains to those communities..

Well progress and change has happened a lot over the last 200yrs and someone has to feel a negative impact - but they will get over it - other communities have. It's a railway line after all and unless I'm mistaken railways already exist and go through communiktyies - or have communityes built up around them - whatever. Railways exist. We all understand railways - they are nothing new.

Nimbyism just has be be met head on for what it is - rather short-sighted selfishness. If you don't like it move away.

Environmentally our countryside is resiliant and HS2 will be one heck of a less impact on the environment than any alternative (imagine a new 10 lane north south motorway) - and indeed ANY alternative would be subject to nimbyism.

I start from the very simple point that in 30yrs time there WILL be an HS2 because there HAS to be more capacity and better links between north are south of UK- and there is no alternative. We may as well accept that fact now. And btw if we want to reduce the cost - quite easy - require less of HS2 in respect of minimising environmental impact and impact on the communities and countryside it passes through. So build and be damned?

 

[Adi2Dassler]

I'm undecided by this, having used high speed trains in France and Spain, I love them, but I have reservations about cost and delivery.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...HS2-time-savings-exaggerated-critics-say.html

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Delivery I am not too worried about - HS1 was in budget and to time - and Crossrail seems to be going fine - in general UK engineering and construction industries are pretty hot. Cost is an issue - but cost has to put in, and assessed in, an appropriate context. Yes you could build a lot of schools with the money - but schools and national communication infrastructure are not equivalents. Besides it appears that the funds for this project will be found and raised - for this project. If the funding is not used on HS2 then it will be dissipated and not raised - and so we won't see anything instead.

 

[Adi2Dassler]

Delivery I am not too worried about - HS1 was in budget and to time - and Crossrail seems to be going fine - in general UK engineering and construction industries are pretty hot. Cost is an issue - but cost has to put in, and assessed in, an appropriate context. Yes you could build a lot of schools with the money - but schools and national communication infrastructure are not equivalents. Besides it appears that the funds for this project will be found and raised - for this project. If the funding is not used on HS2 then it will be dissipated and not raised - and so we won't see anything instead.

I've never heard anyone suggest this.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/c...ct/public-accounts-committee/news/hs1-report/

http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2012/04/rail-694-the-myths-around-hs1/

 

[beau d.]

Ingestre Park Golf club (my old club) also goes. They have had meetings with the DOT who say they will build them another course somewhere..... All very vague at the moment, but they have had conformation the course will close. Whittington Heath will have 7 holes I think effected and it runs through the middle of the clubhouse! Great shame.....

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport-news/2013/07/07/hs2-will-force-us-out-of-homes/

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Ingestre Park Golf club (my old club) also goes. They have had meetings with the DOT who say they will build them another course somewhere..... All very vague at the moment, but they have had conformation the course will close. Whittington Heath will have 7 holes I think effected and it runs through the middle of the clubhouse! Great shame.....

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport-news/2013/07/07/hs2-will-force-us-out-of-homes/

Well - the recent building of the M77 on South Side of Glasgow meant that Eastwood Golf Club lost five holes - and they had to build another five. But I'm hearing that the 'new' course layout is better than the 'old'. Nobody really likes change from a comfortable status quo - but as a society we need change and change may not always be bad. It CAN actually a lot of the time be for the good.

 

[JezzE]

I know where Whittington is, NE of B'ham. However, look at the proposed route and you will see that it swings up before coming back to B'ham

Not quite... the Whittington stretch is a continuation up and out of Birmingham to the north, with the stretch to just south of Rugeley currently being shown as part of phase 1 as you rightly say.

 

[USER1999]

But does any one really need to get to Birmingham 10 minutes faster?

 

[Fish]

Well progress and change has happened a lot over the last 200yrs and someone has to feel a negative impact - but they will get over it -

I find that statement amazing, tell that to a whole Warwickshire village that will lose their homes which have been passed down over hundreds of years!

Kenilworth Golf Club is also affected, they put in writing and in public reports that they decided to move the line away from KGC after many appeals but have reneged on that since!

 

[Fish]

But does any one really need to get to Birmingham 10 minutes faster?

Simple answer, no!

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Folks protested when the motorways were built; but we all use them.

Protests when mobile phone masts were erected; but we all use our mobiles.

Protests over wind farms: but we all switch on our lights.

In other words most objections are, understandably, on the grounds of NIMBYism.

 

[USER1999]

It isn't going to affect me at all, as it's not in my immediate area. I just see it as a massive waste of money we haven't got, to achive something no one really needs, or wants.

 

[Dellboy]

But does any one really need to get to Birmingham 10 minutes faster?

Having been there and worked in Birmingham, I can see the advantage of getting out of there 10 minutes quicker.

 

[Khamelion]

They'd have been better off improving the east coast main line, the trains that run up and down it are state of the ark a deplorable state.

Or the Goverment could use the money to subsidise train fairs, I looked, out of curiosity at how much it would cost to get the train to guildford from NEwcastle, assuming the H4H day was at West Hill next year, even booking well in advance it would still cost £133, to go first class would be £438, stupid prices.

 

[Curls]

In other words most objections are, understandably, on the grounds of NIMBYism.

I support NIMBYs but I wouldn't want them in my back yard.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Or the Goverment could use the money to subsidise train fairs, I looked, out of curiosity at how much it would cost to get the train to guildford from NEwcastle, assuming the H4H day was at West Hill next year, even booking well in advance it would still cost £133, to go first class would be £438, stupid prices.

You need to book 6 weeks in advance in my experience, that seems to be when they are at their cheapest.

 

[jp5]

Not a NIMBY and wouldn't care if it was at the end of my back garden, but still think it is a colossal waste of money.

The UK isn't akin to other countries in that there are vast expanses separating key cities. You can get to Manchester from London in 2 hours already which is pretty decent. Spend it on something usual, invest in renewable energy, nationwide high speed broadband - things that could actually shape the future. Not getting to Brum 20 mins quicker.