Will Birmingham get double deck trains on HS2? This is a proposal from Alstom for the rolling stock.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/hs2-double-decker-trains-coming-11378253
I've no doubt the proposed completion date for 2026 will be missed, based upon recent infrastructure projects in the UK.
It appears that they are now saying that the HS2 project is to expensive
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36376837
Quote from: Stuharris 6360 on May 26, 2016, 08:34:50 PM
It appears that they are now saying that the HS2 project is to expensive
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36376837
No surprise there. Call me a cynic, but I don't believe any projections for cost or completion dates these days.
Quote from: Bryan on May 27, 2016, 09:01:53 AM
No surprise there. Call me a cynic, but I don't believe any projections for cost or completion dates these days.
That's not what this report is saying.
This report says the quoted costs are excessive and we should be able to build it cheaper, meaning it probably will come in on budget!
Quote from: Tony on May 27, 2016, 09:10:24 AM
That's not what this report is saying.
This report says the quoted costs are excessive and we should be able to build it cheaper, meaning it probably will come in on budget!
I agree,
but be honest, how many transport infrastructure contracts these days are completed on time and in budget?
Quote from: Bryan on May 27, 2016, 10:37:19 AM
I agree, but be honest, how many transport infrastructure contracts these days are completed on time and in budget?
HS1 was, the Borders railway was and Crossrail (once they actually started) looks likely to be.
Chase line electrification is also ahead of schedule ( I won't mention Great Western though)
I suspect on the same basis that they quote the highest figure they can get away with, so if they don't spend it all it looks good at the end coming in 'under budget'
Quote from: Bryan on May 27, 2016, 09:01:53 AM
No surprise there. Call me a cynic, but I don't believe any projections for cost or completion dates these days.
;
Of course it's too expensive. No one has the slightest idea what the effect of going from a twenty minute service of trains running at 125 mph to a high speed railway is, no matter how many fancy computerised simulations they pay consultants, who will always come up with the answer the customer wants, to run.
In the past i have travelled on HS1 and it's quite impressive, although the speed can be a little off putting. I travelled from St Pancras to Gravesend in around 25 minutes, while if you took the slower option from Charing Cross the journey time is nearly an hour.
However the fares are more expensive on HS1 and the times i travelled on it the patronage was quite poor.
I suspect you may get the same problem with HS2, with Virgin, Chiltern and London Midland running from Birmingham to London are people really going to want to travel on it, especially as the trains will not depart from Birmingham New Street. Having to catch a tram to the new station to me won't be appealing to many people, plus you can see that in order for a return on the investment money, the fares will not be cheap.
London will be an easy commute from UK Central or whatever other name they come up with. Parkway seems to have become a passe identifier to include in a station name.
Quote from: JoNi on May 27, 2016, 02:35:00 PM
London will be an easy commute from UK Central or whatever other name they come up with. Parkway seems to have become a passe identifier to include in a station name.
I thought 'Parkway' meant don't get off here unless you have a car in the car park as you are nowhere near the town this station is named after!
Quote from: Stuharris 6360 on May 27, 2016, 01:24:32 PM
In the past i have travelled on HS1 and it's quite impressive, although the speed can be a little off putting. I travelled from St Pancras to Gravesend in around 25 minutes, while if you took the slower option from Charing Cross the journey time is nearly an hour.
However the fares are more expensive on HS1 and the times i travelled on it the patronage was quite poor.
I suspect you may get the same problem with HS2, with Virgin, Chiltern and London Midland running from Birmingham to London are people really going to want to travel on it, especially as the trains will not depart from Birmingham New Street. Having to catch a tram to the new station to me won't be appealing to many people, plus you can see that in order for a return on the investment money, the fares will not be cheap.
This has always been the issue with HS2 for me, having no indication whatsoever of what the average fare 'might' be.
There are already some frankly ridiculous fares already between Birmingham and London, depending on what time of day you travel. So I already envisage that HS2 fares are not by any means going to be affordable for the majority of passengers.
So for me, if it comes down to a choice between a cheap off-peak £12 ticket on Chiltern for a journey that takes just over 2 hours, or £112 for a HS2 journey that takes 45 minutes, unless I'm desperate to get there in a hurry (or someone else is paying!)...
Quote from: Tony on May 27, 2016, 10:43:07 AM
HS1 was, the Borders railway was and Crossrail (once they actually started) looks likely to be.
Chase line electrification is also ahead of schedule ( I won't mention Great Western though)
I suspect on the same basis that they quote the highest figure they can get away with, so if they don't spend it all it looks good at the end coming in 'under budget'
OK, good points, I stand corrected :) and I will not mention Great Western!
Quote from: Bryan on May 27, 2016, 10:37:19 AM
I agree, but be honest, how many transport infrastructure contracts these days are completed on time and in budget?
East London line: Dalston Junction to New Cross/ New Cross Gate. Early and within budget.
Can they prove that more passengers will use the hs2 &it won't affect the current services all ready offered by the rail firms
My biggest concern is that HS2 will in theory only be affordable to a certain elite of passengers... Surely the price of a ticket will be alot more expensive then the current virgin services.
Hardly comparable but I just imagine HS2 is a concorde of the rails. Of course this is only my opinion and if people disagree or have evidence to suggest otherwise.
Quote from: danny on June 12, 2016, 10:51:02 AM
My biggest concern is that HS2 will in theory only be affordable to a certain elite of passengers... Surely the price of a ticket will be alot more expensive then the current virgin services.
Why? they need to fill the trains, pricing will be on supply and demand, so fares will only be high if they can fill the trains with people willing to pay those fares. With the other services still running that won't happen, so there will be cheap fares off peak guaranteed.
Quote from: danny on June 12, 2016, 10:51:02 AM
Hardly comparable but I just imagine HS2 is a concorde of the rails. Of course this is only my opinion and if people disagree or have evidence to suggest otherwise.
Concorde only had 100 seats in it at a time trans-atlantic travel was exceeding demand, so supply and demand, as well as the high cost of operating Concorde meant high fares were needed
I don't know myself but anyone got an idea what the Southeastern services were like before HS1 and the Javelin trains? Have the normal services suffered as a result or is there still overall more or less the same travel opportunities?
Quote from: Kevin on June 12, 2016, 12:48:40 PM
I don't know myself but anyone got an idea what the Southeastern services were like before HS1 and the Javelin trains? Have the normal services suffered as a result or is there still overall more or less the same travel opportunities?
Severely overcrowded in the peak, both before and after HS1!
Angela Leadsom has pulled out of the race to lead of the tory party, so the project is still on!
Shortlist of operators that have bid to run HS2.
http://www.itv.com/news/central/2017-06-22/three-bids-shortlisted-to-run-hs2-high-speed-railway/