The joke that is HS2

1. Obviously anticipating too much capacity to be economic,too many trains,significantly empty seats and last minute seats (not much about planned business and economic growth more about on the spur moment leisure trips and shopping trips to London.
   £5 in 2030 wont cover cost of electricity let alone operational costs.
   So some will be paying standard fare £500-1000 by them and the PR man is suggesting £5 budget seats subsidized to the tune of many hundreds. I can imagine the businessman. Would passengers share the same compartment?
   This is to be operationally a tax poayer subsidized, uneconomic white elephant running on a taxpayer paid for track.
   How can the committee investigating the finances not question the case with mad cap notions such as these.

   High speed rail tickets could cost as little as £5, according to one of the experts in charge of the project – insisting it will not be a ‘fatcat’ train.

   Paul Chapman wants to see a system of last-minute fares sold a few minutes before departure.

   Mr Chapman – originally managing director of HS1 and now running the new line’s PR strategy – was speaking to Greater Manchester business leaders at an event designed to rally their support for the project.

   He said the government should look at overhauling its train pricing system and recommended the transport select committee look at the issue.
   http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/hs2-tickets-could-cost-little-6324870

   • Qf course the passengers won’t be allowed to mix and mingle,Paul.

     Those in Standard / Economy will of course be packed into hermetically sealed close compartments and stacked on hard benches, while those paying the full fare (hopefully on expenses and /or tax deductable) will enjoy, as is only right, spacious,deep uphostered accommodation, staffed with attractive attendents, selected for their charm and good looks , on hand to provide whatever services may be required…

     Elsewhere, so as to recoup some revenue for the ‘long suffering, hard working British (family) taxpayer’…, the well proven model will be adopted, copied from Ryanair.

     Once the doors are closed the toilet facilities will only be accessed with a bank debit /credit card, with an automatic five /ten pound charge, depending which is used.

     As applies at many concert venues, no food or drink will be allowed to be carried on and any refreshments on board will be ‘suitably’ priced .

     Luggage, including small ‘carry on’ hand bags will be charged for.

     Finally, at the destination, those exiting through the designated ‘Cattle class ‘ gates will have any remaining notes and small change extracted automatically from their pockets.

2. Birmingham seems to be getting business without the aid of HS2 and if built could cause transport snags around the area for years.Hardly likely to please customers.

3. Nice one,another good angle to fight these monstrosities is to rip the p*** out of them.
   One thing the ruling elite,clarses,etc or whatever you want to call them do not like, is out and out ridicule.

4. A tragic comedy when the UK can achieve good designs and plans. Euston to Birmingham through rural county areas provides NO local services because people not their in sufficient numbers. HS2 said this in 2011 in their documents but MPs pressed on. This is not a competent decision. HS2 should have determined in 2009 and 2010 what the problems were around Birmingham and its 100 mile region. They would have found and find today that travel to and from the area of Hitchin to Peterborough to Newark to Birmingham takes some 2 hours and to Manchester can take 4 hours. Short to medium length daily commutes cost £10 to £30 return depending on time and distance. These would be affordable for work in Birmingham and the West Midlands for people to the east if the 30 mile to 50 mile journeys were at 60 mile per hour taking 30 to 60 minutes. Thousands of students, workers and pensioners would enjoy the better rail connections from Birmingham to the east of England with new rail track arrangements. METRO has not been smart to-date which is another tragic outcome because of obsession with its airport and not with regional development to the east of Brimingham. The phase 1 Route 1 approach from the South is to little help for the east west journeys required. A carefully thinking Government group with Network Rail the Train operators, Rail Freight operators and the Highways Agency could have planned a motorway and rail corridor from Brmingham to Corby/Peterborough to provide routes to both London along the East Cost Line upgrades and towards Cambridge and Felixstowe. These would intercept the north south motorway and rail routes providing some resilience and capacity. Such a link from the east of Birmingham would enable the North West trains to operate onto the electrified Midland Mainline and East Coast Mainline relieving some of the Euston to the north west routes. The joke is on the UK public through the poor scrutiny of the MPs and the incompetent optioneering of the HS2 at this stage. Sir David Higgins is wrong to say start in the North as the issues were around Birmingham’s regeneration needs. Starting with the right planning and operational objectives is the right starting point and this is not phase 1 Route 3, or the current Leeds and Manchester phase 2 locations as there is a missing east to west route currently between Liverpool/Manchester and Wakefield to Leeds and York. Again HS2 have focussed on the north south axis when the east to west access upgrades are required to increase the options for people to move across/though the Pennine region. HS2 was short on smart planning and this is a national shame when a whim of several people cannot be re-addressed with some many task forces and pundits and Lords pontificating. Poor plan, lack of vision and an expensive mistake for the UK people.

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