HS2

[The Stationmaster]

18 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Is she guaranteed to get one?

Effectively yes, after all they are spending several tens of thousands of £s on the uni part of her training.  But it might not necessarily be the ideal job to suit her.  At present she seems quite keen on an orthopaedic surgical ward (which is where she is currently training and also doing her other job as a Care Assistant).   But she fancies moving on at some later stage to  a minor injuries post as that sort of work involves plenty of variety and can be quite interesting

 

She had to do a year as a Care Assistant in order to get on the fully financed nursing training course and now she spends part of each week as a Student Nurse wearing one colour of uniform and part of some weeks as a Care Assitant wearing a different colour uniform.  Just to put some icing on the cake her car park permit describes her - absolutely accurately - as ''Doctor' because she also happens  to have a PhD

 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

9 hours ago, 62613 said:

Guy I know found a job in Sweden; he was given six months training learning Swedish

My parents lived for 3 years in Kiruna, in Northern Sweden.

 

Dad never bothered with the language (though he had learned some basic Norwegian during the war in case he got shot down and met up with the resistance); he didn't need it for work in the EISCAT Scientific Association as the working language was English.

 

Mum got a part-time job teaching English as a foreign language, mostly to miners from the LKAB iron ore mine.

[corneliuslundie]

Perhaps there is scope for TEFL courses for the workforce of the contractors building HS2, (there, almost back on topic).

Jonathan

[Ron Ron Ron]

The first weekend in January and the Launching Girder, "Dominique",  is seen at rest, ready to start building another span on Monday.

 

Note the progress since crossing Moorhall Road, just over a month ago.

The two thirds point has been reached.

Also, from the video you can see that the Grand Union Canal crossing is very close....and the end point at Harvill Road is visible in the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

From last week.......

a view from Moorhall Road.

 

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

New Years Day at Burton Green (no work being done over the holiday period)....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

Long Itchington Woods tunnel, north portal....

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[jamie92208]

10 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

The first weekend in January and the Launching Girder, "Dominique",  is seen at rest, ready to start building another span on Monday.

 

Note the progress since crossing Moorhall Road, just over a month ago.

The two thirds point has been reached.

Also, from the video you can see that the Grand Union Canal crossing is very close....and the end point at Harvill Road is visible in the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

From last week.......

a view from Moorhall Road.

 

 

 

 

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An interesting video.  I wondered how they sequenced the build on those long Y shaped piers. Right at the end of the video it shows that they are placing the segments between the two arms and presumably they wilthen start on the arches either side. 

 

I got hold of Rail issue 999 which has a two page spread on the Handsacre muddle.  Apparently all work north of Streethay has been paused though the bridge under the A38 is progressing.it seems that they are in a quandary as to what type of Junction to construct. They have no Parliamentary powers for the original High Speed connection and I think the connection to the slow lines is tied in with the powers for phase 2a.  According to the article no one at the DafT knows what to do.  You couldn't make it up.  

 

Jamie

Edited January 8 by jamie92208

[Ron Ron Ron]

6 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

.......I got hold of Rail issue 999 which has a two page spread on the Handacre muddle.  Apparently all work north of Street hay has been paused though the bridge under the A38 is progressing.it seems that they arevin a quandary as to what type of Junction to construct. They have no Parliamentary powers for the original High Speed connection and I think the connection to the slow lines is tied in with the powers for phase 2a.  According to the article no one at the DafT knows what to do.  You couldn't make it up.  

 

 

If they were to make changes back to the original connection onto the fast lines, plus all the necessary upgrades and enhancements to the WCML north of Handsacre (that NR are apparently now looking at in earnest), there won't be much of a saving left from the cancellation of Phase 2a (to Crewe).

 

What a stupid, stupid decision, it was to cancel 2a !

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

More views of work in progress.

This time between Wormleighton and Upper Boddington, about 2.6 miles NW of the Chipping Warden "Green Tunnel".

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

Just to the east of Kenilworth, Warwickshire.

 

The new bridge that will take the diverted B4115 over HS2.

Beyond we see preparations for building the bridge to take the A46 over the new line.

Then the drone turns round and heads a short distance SE, towards the edge of the Stoneleigh Park estate, before turning back to the starting point of the video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[jamie92208]

8 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

If they were to make changes back to the original connection onto the fast lines, plus all the necessary upgrades and enhancements to the WCML north of Handsacre (that NR are apparently now looking at in earnest), there won't be much of a saving left from the cancellation of Phase 2a (to Crewe).

 

What a stupid, stupid decision, it was to cancel 2a !

 

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I suppose the only sensible outcome would be for an early general election to stop any chance of a phase 2a repeal bill being passed then a change of policy to restart 2a.  I must live in dreamland.   In the meantime it is nice to see so much progress. 

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

A another video of the Stoke Mandeville to Wendover section.  This poster does post good captions on his videos. 

Jamie

[Ron Ron Ron]

With the Christmas and New Year holiday pause in activities now behind us, the TBM's are back in action.

 

At the Chilterns tunnels, today's report says that "Florence" has only 592 metres left to go, before break through at the north portal.

At a rough guess, that event will take place in the first week of February  (4 to 5 weeks from now).

 

"Cecilia" is a little way behind and either yet to re-start after the break, or has only just started off again.

Breakthrough is likely to be in late February, or early March.

 

 

TBM "Lydia" boring the OOC Logistics Tunnel, is due to be dismantled and removed, beginning at the end of this month, January.

Progress reports about this tunnel have been scant, from day 1.

The last report dated 19th December, said that there was still 216 metres remaining, which was similar if not the same as the previous report, so open to scepticism.

Reports say that breakthrough into the eastern section of the OOC station box, is expected in the next couple of weeks., after which, the bulk of the TBM will apparently be towed back through the newly constructed tunnel, to Atlas Road, for removal and dismantling. 

Presumably the cutting head and shield front end will have to be removed at OOC ?

 

Further news.

From later this month and through to March, cranes and lifting gear will start to be assembled at OOC, in preparation for lowering sections of the Euston tunnels TBM's into the eastern end of the OOC station box.

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

 

 

 

 

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[corneliuslundie]

So they are not really building HS2, but GU2 - to supplement the Grand Union Canal.

Seriously, I wonder how much the recent weather will have caused delay and increased costs, including things such as cutting sides slipping etc.

Jonathan

[Compound2632]

4 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said:

including things such as cutting sides slipping etc.

 

But isn't the avoidance of that a large part of the point of the shallow gradient now used, in contrast to the Victorian rule-of-thumb 1:1.5 that has been the cause of so many problems down the years?

[corneliuslundie]

But did they allow for the current very wet weather? One hopes so.

Jonathan

[jamie92208]

Meantime, underground away from the canal builders the tunnellers are back at work after their break.   Florence is now at 15,468 m   with just over 500 to got.   At an estimated rate of about 170m per week I suspect that a cabinet minister may have an outing placed in his/her diary in early February.   Cecilia is just past the 15km mark.   The other 4 TBM's haven't woken up from their break yet.   I wonder of the long pause with Caroline and Sushila is to make alterations to the machines due to different ground conditions ahead of them. 

 

Jamie

[melmerby]

20 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

So they are not really building HS2, but GU2 - to supplement the Grand Union Canal.

Same problem with the Grand Union Canal as HS2 to Manchester.

The Northern stretch into Birmingham from Braunston wasn't built as a wide canal as originally planned due to costs and a cut down narrow canal used instead, later improvements did widen much of it.

[jamie92208]

The a January Modern Railways has finally landed in the wilds of South Western France.  The HS2 supplement which had sort  of gone missing is now back in the magazine with 11pages of mainly positive comment showing the progress on phase 1

 

There are also 2 pages of news in the first section of the magazine.  Sadly mainly  reporting of the arguments over pase 2.  It does confirm that 70% of the so called savings from the cancellation are being spent on road projects. It also reports about the efforts to lift the safeguarding of land for phase 2.  I better not comment as I am so angry about that.  Scorched earth comes to mind. 

 

Fortunately for my blood pressure a glass of our local red is at hand. 

 

Jamie

Edited January 9 by jamie92208

[melmerby]

6 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Scorched earth comes to mind. 

Blatant sabotage.

[adb968008]

Makes you proud to be British…

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67932247

 

Quote

Sir Jonathan also said HS2 trains will travel more slowly than existing Pendolino trains when they travel on conventional tracks between Birmingham and Manchester, because they cannot tilt on bends.

 

He said he expects fewer seats to be available on HS2 now the legs to Manchester and Crewe have been scrapped, due to trains having to be shorter. HS2 trains of the same length as the current Pendolinos would be used, but would have fewer seats.

At this rate they will be putting 390’s on to HS2… might save a few pence and solve all the above issues.

 

 

Edited January 10 by adb968008

[John Tomlinson]

31 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Makes you proud to be British…

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67932247

 

At this rate they will be putting 390’s on to HS2… might save a few pence and solve all the above issues.

 

 

 

Interesting that this piece also refers to Thompson saying that the budget for the whole thing was too low to begin with.

 

Rather raises the issue as to whether Parliament was lied to in order to get approval!

 

And yes, I'm sure there are folk thinking that if it were now to be completed as a conventional line, what would the cost impact be?

 

John.

Edited January 10 by John Tomlinson

[phil-b259]

4 minutes ago, John Tomlinson said:

 

 

And yes, I'm sure there are folk thinking that if it were now to be completed as a conventional line, what would the cost impact be?

 

 

 

Not much different is the REAL answer!

 

The inhabitants of the Chilterns were not going to suddenly turn around and drop their opposition even if it was built as a 100mph 'conventional' railway as you put it so tunnelling would still be needed.

 

Moreover the purpose of said 'conventional' railway (to provide relief to the WCML) wouldn't change so to achieve that aim you would still want no stations and a nice gentle alignment.

 

The savings in terms of making HS2 more like a 'conventional' railway are thus mainly in the fit out stage where you can alter things like OLE to be cheaper and not in building the railway formation (which is all that HS2 has been doing so far)

[John Tomlinson]

2 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Not much different is the REAL answer!

 

The inhabitants of the Chilterns were not going to suddenly turn around and drop their opposition even if it was built as a 100mph 'conventional' railway as you put it so tunnelling would still be needed.

 

Moreover the purpose of said 'conventional' railway (to provide relief to the WCML) wouldn't change so to achieve that aim you would still want no stations and a nice gentle alignment.

 

The savings in terms of making HS2 more like a 'conventional' railway are thus mainly in the fit out stage where you can alter things like OLE to be cheaper and not in building the railway formation (which is all that HS2 has been doing so far)

 

Indeed, and I'd assume the work is too far advanced now on Phase 1 to make dumping it altogether an unrealistic option. Certainly the photos and videos posted on this thread seem to imply such.

 

Presumably going "conventional", you'd also build the same stock as whatever is intended to replace Pendos on the WCML, so you'd save the special costs of the HS stock too.

 

I'm not saying any of this is necessarily a good idea btw, just musing out loud.

 

John.