Emeritus Prof Christopher May6d ago

Ha ha ha.... the disgrace that is HS2 just gets worse.

Now, to save money the Govt. has decided to reduce the top speed of trains on the new lines (thereby reducing the specifications of the system & making it cheaper to construct).

Whatever might think of the original conception of High Speed Rail, this project has demonstrated the difficulty the UK in actually delivering infrastructure projects (and specifically railways).

Just ludicrous

#railways #HS2 #politics
h/t FT

Show threadPeter Brown

@ChrisMayLA6 what this demonstrate very clearly is that the whole project was designed to be a commuter line from Birmingham to London. If it had been a real high speed line project it would have been started from the north and potentially the Midlands at the same time.

But by the time it is finished, it will just be another commuter line to London.

However, because it’s classed as national infrastructure and not local infrastructure, every single taxpayer in the UK is paying for it.

Mar 22 at 7:58pmWeb
Show threadPhil Thane ✅5d ago
@peterbrown @ChrisMayLA6 According to the Barnett formula any expenditure by UK govt on an England-only project should grant a sum equal to 10% to Scotland and 5% to Wales. But the govt never paid Wales because HS2 would serve Crewe which is 'close' to Wales therefore Welsh people would benefit. But now HS2 isn't going to Crewe...