A recent written Parliamentary answer shows that they still don’t know how to use any space freed up on the West Coast Main Line after HS2 is built. It makes you wonder how they decided that a ultra-high speed railway with stations in only two cities was the best option – especially when it will cost 10% more than a conventional railway.
Asked by Lord Berkeley on 06 June 2016
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many train paths an hour will be freed up on the West Coast Main Line when HS2 Phase 1 is operational according to Network Rail’s West Coast Main Line Capacity Plus study, and when that study will be published.
Answered by: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 June 2016
HS2 Phase 1 will add significant additional capacity to the London to West Midlands rail corridor, and this provides an opportunity for the industry to evaluate how best to make use of the released capacity on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail continues to develop the evidence base to support the Capacity Plus study. Train operating companies and freight operating companies, passenger transport executives and local authorities and High Speed 2 Ltd are supporting Network Rail in its ongoing work. Network Rail will use this work to inform the Initial Industry Advice for Control Period 6 which is expected to be published by the end of 2016.
Saw this comment on another site which if true destroys hs2 case
‘But HS2 doesn’t free up any train paths! The only way it could free up paths would be if Virgin was prohibited from running their “stopping” services to Birmingham, Manchester & beyond. McNaughton claims that HS2 phase 1 “replaces most long distance non-stop trains”. But there are no long distance non stop trains. They all stop somewhere en-route. If they do remove Virgin trains to give HS2 a competition free run then the rest of us will clearly have a less frequent & slower service than currently.
ABOUT TIME THE MEDIA EXPOSED THIS DECEPTION