Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

HS2 is officially ‘unachievable’ after being given red rating


Still Waters

Recommended Posts

The HS2 rail project was last week given an “unachievable“ rating by the official infrastructure watchdog.

A “red” rating was assigned to the plans for the construction of the first two phases of the high-speed line, from London to Birmingham and then on to Crewe in Cheshire, by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA).

The rating, contained in the IPA’s annual report on big projects, says: “Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable. There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.”

This month, HS2’s chief executive, Mark Thurston announced his resignation after delays and cost pressures for the railway project. He is to leave his role in September after six and a half years leading the government-owned company.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/30/hs2-officially-unachievable-red-rating-problems-london-birmingham

Related:

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

This is just embarrassing.  There was a time you guys could get major technical projects completed.  It certainly isn't as if you don't badly need HS2 either.  How many people work in London but can't afford to live there and must commute from Birmingham every day?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Alchopwn said:

This is just embarrassing.  There was a time you guys could get major technical projects completed.  It certainly isn't as if you don't badly need HS2 either.  How many people work in London but can't afford to live there and must commute from Birmingham every day?

Far less people will use HS2 than it was originally planned to carry. HS2 was conceived at a time when high speed links were being planned to enter right into the EU- that was the whole point. Because there are now border delays, it has become pointless (no point saving an hour on a journey just to spend two ot three hours queuing at customs, and the loss of freedom of movement means there will be much less traffic between UK and the EU anyway. This is from 2016: “But I’m worried about the long-term impact,” he said, adding that there are concerns about what the EU referendum vote will mean to how HS2 engages with European markets and “the price differentials and tariffs that could potentially be coming our way” HS2 worried about long-term Brexit impact (railtechnologymagazine.com)

Eurostar has been running at 2/3rds capacity because of the new (since Brexit) border delays, and has stopped expanding operations in the UK: Eurostar, Symbol of a Connected Europe, Is Plagued by Brexit Hurdles - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Our present government is not prepared to admit that Brexit has adversely affected our economy so are carrying on with it to save face, but the next government will scrap HS2.

The billions yet to be spent can be better used to improve our domestic rail services.

Edited by pellinore
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Alchopwn said:

This is just embarrassing.  There was a time you guys could get major technical projects completed.  It certainly isn't as if you don't badly need HS2 either.  How many people work in London but can't afford to live there and must commute from Birmingham every day?

I`m pretty sure there are no people commuting from Birmingham to London. You do realise they are 200km apart?

High speed rail might create some commuters if when factoring in all the stops from Birmingham to London the travel time is under an hour. But who is going to pay for a train ticket when you can fly between Birmingham and London? Flying is cheaper, and quicker.

The purpose of HS2 is to increase the capacity of our rail system, nothing else. £100 billion for that is not an affective use of tax payer money. The current system works fine, it just takes people a couple of hours of travel. For £100 billion we could have built a new Channel Tunnel, a tunnel to Ireland, 2 more aircraft carriers, and a moon colony.

Edited by Electric Scooter
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Electric Scooter said:

I’m pretty sure there are no people commuting from Birmingham to London. You do realise they are 200km apart?

Seriously?

Getting a Rush hour Train from Birmingham New Street to London Euston is one of the most frantic, desperate experiences you can have in a peace time environment. Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston is the same, and as the London train pulling into Birmingham has come from Manchester, you can forget any notions of sitting down.

2 hours ago, Electric Scooter said:

But who is going to pay for a train ticket when you can fly between Birmingham and London? Flying is cheaper, and quicker.

Yeah, try getting to the airport during rush hour, what if there are delays?  Air travel is not a practical method of transport for getting to and from work every day.

2 hours ago, Electric Scooter said:

The purpose of HS2 is to increase the capacity of our rail system, nothing else. £100 billion for that is not an affective use of tax payer money.

Totally agree.  I remember the announcement for HS2 go ahead not long after the 2008 financial crisis.  At the time if I recall it was pegged at 32billion.  I watched as Cameron’s government stripped the nations social support networks, took from poorest with one hand and gave to HS2 with the other.

2 hours ago, Electric Scooter said:

The current system works fine, it just takes people a couple of hours of travel.

Yes it does, to a degree, certainly investment in infrastructure is badly needed.

What annoys me the most, is that the Birmingham to London trains are almost 50% first class.  You literally have to walk for 2 minutes down the platform to find a standard carriage.  The first class coaches are almost always empty.  Want increase capacity, replace the first class carriages with standard, double the passenger capacity.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Grey Area said:

Seriously?

Getting a Rush hour Train from Birmingham New Street to London Euston is one of the most frantic, desperate experiences you can have in a peace time environment. Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston is the same, and as the London train pulling into Birmingham has come from Manchester, you can forget any notions of sitting down.

Yeah, try getting to the airport during rush hour, what if there are delays?  Air travel is not a practical method of transport for getting to and from work every day.

Totally agree.  I remember the announcement for HS2 go ahead not long after the 2008 financial crisis.  At the time if I recall it was pegged at 32billion.  I watched as Cameron’s government stripped the nations social support networks, took from poorest with one hand and gave to HS2 with the other.

Yes it does, to a degree, certainly investment in infrastructure is badly needed.

What annoys me the most, is that the Birmingham to London trains are almost 50% first class.  You literally have to walk for 2 minutes down the platform to find a standard carriage.  The first class coaches are almost always empty.  Want increase capacity, replace the first class carriages with standard, double the passenger capacity.

I have never heard anything more funny or made up in my life.

I live near Manchester and the trip to London is 3 hours by train. No one commutes to London, the odd business trip or meeting is all that happens. And people dont commute to London from Birmingham either, while its nearer its still 2 hours on the train. You think a 6 or 4 hour train journey, plus travel to and from train stations is a viable commute? Trains are also expensive in the UK, it is cheaper and faster to fly, and yes no one commutes by aircraft either. 

The HS2 does not make them commutable, read the HS2 website, it even tells you its about increasing capacity not some miracle 300+ km per hour trip to make commuting possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, Electric Scooter said:

I have never heard anything more funny or made up in my life.

I live near Manchester and the trip to London is 3 hours by train. No one commutes to London, the odd business trip or meeting is all that happens. And people dont commute to London from Birmingham either, while its nearer its still 2 hours on the train. You think a 6 or 4 hour train journey, plus travel to and from train stations is a viable commute? Trains are also expensive in the UK, it is cheaper and faster to fly, and yes no one commutes by aircraft either. 

The HS2 does not make them commutable, read the HS2 website, it even tells you it’s about increasing capacity not some miracle 300+ km per hour trip to make commuting possible.

Of course people commute to London, what are you on about?

If you travel to London to get to your work place, whether it is  one day a week, a one off meeting or everyday is that not a commute?  To suggest no one commutes to London is silly.

And I’m with you, HS2 is a very expensive farce.  It’s a vanity project gone wrong.

I had to commute to London for 2 weeks a few years ago it was a nightmare.  And Birmingham to London direct is a little over an hour, Manchester 2 and a half.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Grey Area said:

Of course people commute to London, what are you on about?

If you travel to London to get to your work place, whether it is  one day a week, a one off meeting or everyday is that not a commute?  To suggest no one commutes to London is silly.

And I’m with you, HS2 is a very expensive farce.  It’s a vanity project gone wrong.

I had to commute to London for 2 weeks a few years ago it was a nightmare.  And Birmingham to London direct is a little over an hour, Manchester 2 and a half.

 

Birmingham to London: Trains from Birmingham to London | Train Times (westmidlandsrailway.co.uk)

`Our fastest train to London takes 1 hour 47 minutes. Journey times may be slightly longer on weekends or public holidays`

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Grey Area said:

Of course people commute to London, what are you on about?

If you travel to London to get to your work place, whether it is  one day a week, a one off meeting or everyday is that not a commute?  To suggest no one commutes to London is silly.

To be fair to @Electric Scooter, people take commute to mean regular daily travel to work and back home. A on-off would not qualify as commuting, once weekly might at a stretch, but even then I think the term "travel once a week" would be more accurate than "commute".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/31/2023 at 2:54 AM, Electric Scooter said:

I`m pretty sure there are no people commuting from Birmingham to London. You do realise they are 200km apart?

It is actually 140km, not 200km.  I know for a fact that many people who work in London live in Birmingham and commute every day.  Many others live in the towns along the M40 and the M1 and do much the same, but they bought in early so they don't face as much of a commute.  The reason I know this is that many of the people who do this are Australians who are used to long distance commutes to work.  I often get chatting with my fellow Americans and with Australians when I am abroad.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.