I thought this was pretty obviously going to be the case? They’ve already delayed the line even going into central London. It’ll be many decades before it goes to Manchester, if ever.
In fact, I’d go as far to guess that the stage to Manchester was just thrown in to make it more politically acceptable to get the Birmingham line through.
No need to go to Manchester, the freight is being loaded in Birmingham.
This was announced in 2013 when I was 43 and it’s likely I’ll be dead by the time it reaches Manchester.
Of course it won’t go ahead.
The only way that anything was guaranteed north of Birmingham was if they started the work up North and moved south as they went on. The Leeds branch was always doomed, and the Manchester branch in question from the start.
Biggest graft / boondoggle / corruption in UK history (excluding PPE)?
I’m sure all these overpriced failed govt policies are just covers to embezzle money
Inflation in the construction industry is running in double figures. Government has already cut back on new lines to Nottingham and Leeds, won’t fund Northern Powerhouse Rail, and is trying to save every penny it can on the electrification of the Trans-Pennine Route.
Not to mention that Tory MPs won’t shout about their support for the scheme because their seats in the rural shires are now at risk in the next election. I’m shocked its got this far.
The only reason why the first section is being built is because the construction contracts have been awarded.
Since the Manchester station was being downgraded I’d started wondering if the disruption of it was worthwhile. Whereas London had planned an underground station, which surprisingly has been shelved
It was an absolutely ludicrous (though not at all surprising) decision to start HS2 from London instead of from Manchester/Leeds.
I wouldn’t mind HS2 lines being cancelled if they invested in good regional public transport upgrades……… Which also is not happening.
Such an embarrassment of a country. Takes us over a decade to not build a “high speed” train line 117.6 miles. Look at other countries like Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France etc who and build hundreds upon hundreds of miles of genuinely high speed trains and run then at a suitable cost to the consumer.
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I thought this was pretty obviously going to be the case? They’ve already delayed the line even going into central London. It’ll be many decades before it goes to Manchester, if ever.
In fact, I’d go as far to guess that the stage to Manchester was just thrown in to make it more politically acceptable to get the Birmingham line through.
No need to go to Manchester, the freight is being loaded in Birmingham.
This was announced in 2013 when I was 43 and it’s likely I’ll be dead by the time it reaches Manchester.
Of course it won’t go ahead.
The only way that anything was guaranteed north of Birmingham was if they started the work up North and moved south as they went on. The Leeds branch was always doomed, and the Manchester branch in question from the start.
Biggest graft / boondoggle / corruption in UK history (excluding PPE)?
I’m sure all these overpriced failed govt policies are just covers to embezzle money
Inflation in the construction industry is running in double figures. Government has already cut back on new lines to Nottingham and Leeds, won’t fund Northern Powerhouse Rail, and is trying to save every penny it can on the electrification of the Trans-Pennine Route.
Not to mention that Tory MPs won’t shout about their support for the scheme because their seats in the rural shires are now at risk in the next election. I’m shocked its got this far.
The only reason why the first section is being built is because the construction contracts have been awarded.
Since the Manchester station was being downgraded I’d started wondering if the disruption of it was worthwhile. Whereas London had planned an underground station, which surprisingly has been shelved
It was an absolutely ludicrous (though not at all surprising) decision to start HS2 from London instead of from Manchester/Leeds.
I wouldn’t mind HS2 lines being cancelled if they invested in good regional public transport upgrades……… Which also is not happening.
Such an embarrassment of a country. Takes us over a decade to not build a “high speed” train line 117.6 miles. Look at other countries like Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France etc who and build hundreds upon hundreds of miles of genuinely high speed trains and run then at a suitable cost to the consumer.