New 250mph Trains?

[Ashley 288]

on teletext this morning a bit re plans for new 250mph line to Scotland, raises the question WHY? whoever manages our railways at present can't run what they've got! (ps I am unable to confirm the 250mph applies only to the up (to the south) line)

[littlebro 234]

There's an election coming, but as soon as it is over and it will not matter who wins, they will announce 'we cannot afford it'.

[firbeck 860]

Sorry Ashley, old stories, again and again.

Yes, the proposed high speed freight link up the old GCR until some realist informed the 'Happy Monday' squad that large tracts of the line no longer existed.

Then the ultimate plan to build a TGV style new track along the side of the WCML, until another realist worked out how much compensation would have to be forked out for all the properties to be destroyed.

It'll never happen, unless Greene King are willing to sponsor a network of guided busways, 250 mph double deckers could be good fun!!!

[Ashley 288]

Could always get Munto to finance such?

[firbeck 860]

There was an amusing news item on BBC East about this supposed new rail link last week.

An exceedingly wealthy and obnoxious couple from Northants were concerned that the 'new line' was being routed through the garden of their £2.5m country cottage. They'd obtained an OS map of the route, though it didn't explain where from and who'd provided it, some sort of provisional route had been drawn on it in red and green ink, though it looked like a preliminary straight line ruler job to me with no real thought of where it was exactly going.

They were moaning and whingeing about a government cover up as no-one seemed to know anything about it or were interested in helping them, they seemed to be trying to suggest that the bulldozers were about to move in within weeks. I would suggest that such a massive civil engineering exercise through the heart of the country to squeeze a few extra mph out of overpriced trains is extremely unlikely to happen, has anyone else seen these so called detailled maps.

[Fynger 841]

Have to do an 'Arthur Dent' and lie down in front of the diggers

[rob237 89]

has anyone else seen these so called detailled maps.

Yes, but only for the section to Brum...predictably the M25 stockade section was highly detailed! NIMBY's will kill it stone dead. Route seems to be adjacent to the original GWR Snow Hill line...

Currently, the West/East split remains unresolved but the whole stunt is clearly nothing more than academic...typical British blather and bluster. Mickey Mouse meets Donald Duck...

Cheers

Robt P.

[Limey 242]

They will need a towel and a lot of beer!!

[firbeck 860]

They will need a towel and a lot of beer!!

You forgot the salted peanuts.

Just out of interest Rob, where do I find copies of the maps and who's paying for all this scaremongering rubbish, us?

[rob237 89]

Plan and profile maps:

"...Published below are a full set of maps which provide a detailed depiction of the preferred route option which HS2 presented to Government to accompany its report. The bottom portion of each plan depicts the profile of the line in relation to the ground - for example, showing where the line is in a cutting or on an embankment or bridge.

There are two key plans. The first one illustrates the line of route between Euston and the West Coast Main Line near Lichfield, and the second shows the spur into Birmingham. These key plans show which map covers which area of the route. The last 5 digits of the name can then be used to find the right drawing in the long list below..."

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/hs2ltd/route/

Cheers

Robt P.