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57 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

And, as usual, he is completely misusing figures to bolster his case.

All mention too of numbers of passengers. No mention at all of increased railfreight opportunities that it creates which one would expect so-called environmentalists to welcome.

 

I would expect him to encourage the use of horses and carts by courier firms to deliver goods that everyone is ordering on line rather than go into towns and cities but then would complain about the excess greenhouse gas the horses produce!

 

I wonder if he believes that with everyone working from home that there will be no need to build new communication infrastructure with all the 5G coming without any additional carbon foot print.

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The thrust of the radio reports this morning is that "work starts today" building HS2.

Really.... On a Friday? Surely you wait and start properly on Monday morning?

Or is it some kind of ceremonial today, golden spades etc?

Ian

Edited by ikcdab
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2 minutes ago, ikcdab said:

The thrust of the radio reports this morning is that "work starts today" building HS2.

Really.... On a Friday? Surely you wait and start properly on Monday morning?

Or is it some kind of ceremonial today, golden spades etc?

Ian

My school has often started on the first Friday in September. I guess that the only response is 'why wait until Monday?'

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51 minutes ago, ikcdab said:

The thrust of the radio reports this morning is that "work starts today" building HS2.

Really.... On a Friday? Surely you wait and start properly on Monday morning?

Or is it some kind of ceremonial today, golden spades etc?

Ian

 

The Guardian reported that BoJo will today be throwing some dirt about on a silver shovel, marking the "official" start.

 

So basically it's a photo op, for him to appear to be doing something vaguely constructive.

 

Paul

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So the BBC took the official start day of HS2 construction (previous works classed as enabling works) to give a negative story and and never opportunity to the stop HS2 mob. This project was planned and designed outside of a global pandemic, to then try in a middle of a pandemic to argue it is no longer needed as no one will ever travel again is utter rubbish. Yes travel patterns will change in the next few years but how in 2000 were the planners meant to know that in 2020 exactly travel would dramatically change for ever over night.

 

Please can Stop HS2 stop using hindsight and give their crystal ball to current planners so we can all know exactly what will happen to the day, ideally the minute in the future. Government could plan for future so much mutter with Stop HS2 amazing future knowledge. 

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I was intrigued by the 19000 jobs that Stop HS2 say will be displaced by HS2; For a start, displaced does not mean lost, and what and where exactly are these jobs ? I was under the impression (from Packham etc) that HS2 was merely ripping its way through ancient, pristine countryside, so perhaps the woodland elves and the tree sprites are those in danger of redundancy. 

 

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The Radio earlier had Lord Berkeley saying that we don't need a new railway that was designed so that we can shave a few minutes off the journey to London.

What we do need better services for commuters which this won't give.

 

Eh? Is he really that underinformed?

No wonder his report on why HS2 should be scrapped was dismissed by the High Court as rubbish.

 

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On 04/09/2020 at 10:00, corneliuslundie said:

Presumably therefore all those photos of work going on for the last few months are a mirage. Just a "news opportunity".  What is the bad news they want to hide?

Jonathan

 

All works done to date have been "enabling", as described by the the contracts under which they have been let. The contracts for actual construction are largely separate (even if with the same contractors), and have been enacted now. In reality, the division between the two is hard to divine.

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Enabling works are generally let under smaller contracts while the procurement for the main contract is still in progress.  They are the items on or near the "critical path" of the programme, which need to be done early otherwise they will delay the eventual completion.  

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1 minute ago, Edwin_m said:

Enabling works are generally let under smaller contracts while the procurement for the main contract is still in progress.  They are the items on or near the "critical path" of the programme, which need to be done early otherwise they will delay the eventual completion.  

Like tearing down all the trees en-route, before the tree huggers get to camp in them..

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There were a couple of anti HS2 people in the pub yesterday afternoon, who changed their minds when I pointed out, it's not about high speed passenger trains, but additional paths on the existing network for other slower traffic including freight. The comment was why don't they specify that, instead of highlighting getting between London and Birmingham a few minutes quicker. 

 

 

 

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The distinction between enabling works and construction of the actual rail infrastructure, will inevitably be blurred and is largely irrelevant.

Various enabling works will be carried out throughout the construction of the line, alongside other construction activities.

All these works are part of building HS2.
Last Friday’s “start of construction” appears to be symbolic, as nothing has changed on the ground.

 

 

.

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4 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

There were a couple of anti HS2 people in the pub yesterday afternoon, who changed their minds when I pointed out, it's not about high speed passenger trains, but additional paths on the existing network for other slower traffic including freight. The comment was why don't they specify that, instead of highlighting getting between London and Birmingham a few minutes quicker. 

 

It is the (very vocal) opponents of HS2 who keep raising the 'just to save a few minutes to Birmingham' nonsense, including as mentioned above the likes of Lord Berkeley, who really should (and I'm sure actually does) know better; The second half of his surname would appear to be becoming redundant...….

 

Edited by caradoc
Grammar
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Some different HS2 news

As the construction wends it's way from Euston to Birmingham and further it reveals lots of achaeology.

BBC2 have Prof Alice Roberts fronting a programme "Britains Biggest Dig"

The first episode will be about the excavations at Euston where a disused cemetery has been excavated.

 

BBC2 2100, Tuesday 15th September

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000mmrc

Edited by melmerby
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Today I drove out of Aylesbury towards Thame to the left where the hs2 bridge is going across a digger was making a large hole in the grass verge and in the fields behind the hedge a great deal of work is going on.Also out the back of Bishopstone work is starting with machinery moving in and more workers about.Also the level crossing at Marsh Lane is to be shut for a few hours this sunday this crossing is to be remodelled for hs2 in a few years time as the Risboro branch is being moved over to let the new line through.

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19 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

The fabricating plant that will make pre-cast tunnel sections for the Chiltern tunnels, is being constructed at the South portal site.

Another similar facility will be erected to make the pre-cast sections for the long Colne Valley viaduct.

 

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.

Is that what you can see from the m25?

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The latest Mofern Railways got to me this week. In one of the articles it mentions the design of the shaft top buildings. Mention was made on here that they were uninspiring and looked like an agricultural building. Apparently that is very deliberate so that they look like normal agricultural buildings.

 

Jamie

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