Roads Minister interview

[Tangled Metal]

Why is a more direct and faster route not a good thing? Journeys IMHO are likely to be better with hubs sucking in passengers from branch lines to then hand limited stop express trains between key hubs. Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London for example. Instead of Glasgow, Carlisle, Penrith, Oxen Holme, Lancaster, Preston, etc. That gives longer stretches to make up any delay caused at stations.

Just an idea. I'm no expert.

[Tangled Metal]

BTW you'll never get a fast western train route that stops in Birmingham New Street! Can't be done.

[RickH]

The problem with HS2 is there are no new stations being built and so as you say its all about shaving minutes off a long distant journey which,frankly is why I find it a white elephant.
I agree the west coast line over burdened but will HS2 aleviate that problem,no one official has mentioned that it will,only that HS2cut journey times

But then 50% of the Virgin trains - most, if not all, of the Pendelinos - don't stop between Warrington & Euston anyway* and they are often ram-packed full already.

(*It always adds that extra frisson of excitement doing the hop from Wigan to Warrington with a bike on a Pendelino that staff have to open the bike storage let you get your bike off otherwise you've got an unplanned round trip to London! It has never happened to me, yet, but I did meet someone who did - Virgin gave him a free first class ticket back on the next available train)

[reohn2]

The problem with HS2 is there are no new stations being built and so as you say its all about shaving minutes off a long distant journey which,frankly is why I find it a white elephant.
I agree the west coast line over burdened but will HS2 aleviate that problem,no one official has mentioned that it will,only that HS2cut journey times

But then 50% of the Virgin trains - most, if not all, of the Pendelinos - don't stop between Warrington & Euston anyway* and they are often ram-packed full already.

I've only used the Virgin Pedalino to that London once,and you're not wrong.choccablock

(*It always adds that extra frisson of excitement doing the hop from Wigan to Warrington with a bike on a Pendelino that staff have to open the bike storage let you get your bike off otherwise you've got an unplanned round trip to London! It has never happened to me, yet, but I did meet someone who did - Virgin gave him a free first class ticket back on the next available train)

EEK! Its bad enough going to that London intentionally,going there unintentionally is enough to drive a man to drink!

[geocycle]

The huge amounts of money earmarked by central government for High Speed trains would go a long way towards the cost of an integrated transport policy which truly valued the contribution offered by cycling. Moreover, the cost-benefits would be more widely distributed geographically and available to a much greater proportion of the population.

Why are so many against HS2, are you not aware the West coast Mainline is basically full and can not be expanded. Are you suggested no new tramline would be needed then ? It is not one for the other but for both and we can invest and do both at the same time.

I can see HS2 making things worse for me. Living close the west coast line the service to London is excellent. Having to get to Manchester and change would almost certainly take longer than a direct service. The current services would stop more often and could well be slower. The HS2 service would inevitably cost more. All in all, not much gained?

[Stevek76]

EEK! Its bad enough going to that London intentionally,going there unintentionally is enough to drive a man to drink!

And in London that would hurt you in the pocket pretty badly as well!

[ianrobo]

The huge amounts of money earmarked by central government for High Speed trains would go a long way towards the cost of an integrated transport policy which truly valued the contribution offered by cycling. Moreover, the cost-benefits would be more widely distributed geographically and available to a much greater proportion of the population.

Why are so many against HS2, are you not aware the West coast Mainline is basically full and can not be expanded. Are you suggested no new tramline would be needed then ? It is not one for the other but for both and we can invest and do both at the same time.

I can see HS2 making things worse for me. Living close the west coast line the service to London is excellent. Having to get to Manchester and change would almost certainly take longer than a direct service. The current services would stop more often and could well be slower. The HS2 service would inevitably cost more. All in all, not much gained?

yes it may but no one is saying the current service will go, in fact to compete it could get cheaper

[ianrobo]

BTW you'll never get a fast western train route that stops in Birmingham New Street! Can't be done.

that is why HS2 is not

[ianrobo]

The problem with HS2 is there are no new stations being built

Really ? So the one at Curzon Street is a mirage ? or the one at Lichfield ?

[ianrobo]

The problem with HS2 is there are no new stations being built and so as you say its all about shaving minutes off a long distant journey which,frankly is why I find it a white elephant.
I agree the west coast line over burdened but will HS2 aleviate that problem,no one official has mentioned that it will,only that HS2cut journey times

I suspect part of the reason is that if you make it about capacity more than speed, then it would increase the pressure to add a few more curves to stick more closely to the Great Central corridor into London and the M40/Chiltern Line/M42 corridors to/past Birmingham instead of cutting new corridors into London and between Coventry and Warwick.

a few wanted the Chiltern upgraded but believe the costs of that and esp at Marylebone were expensive and you would probably need to double capacity all down the line in areas far more beautiful than proposed HS2. In other countries we would never get this debate and Nimbyism and just build it, BTW there will be a cycle corridor alongside it so hope that would be good ?

[reohn2]

The problem with HS2 is there are no new stations being built

Really ? So the one at Curzon Street is a mirage ? or the one at Lichfield ?

How many more are there?

[ianrobo]

Really ? So the one at Curzon Street is a mirage ? or the one at Lichfield ?

How many more are there?

3

Oak common, Birmingham Interchange and Curzon Street

that is all that is needed as non stop between Brum and London

[SilverBadge]

A reassuringly intelligent interview today from the Roads Minister, Jesse Norman. The headline is about possible e-bike subsidies, but there's interesting clarification of the approach to be adopted in the promised review of 'cyclists' safety'. At least as spun like this, it no longer sounds quite so much like a knee-jerk reaction to Alliston:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/oct/20/uk-may-consider-electric-vehicle-subsidy-to-increase-cycling

But if Norman was intelligent, and sincere etc, he wouldn't have spun it so badly post-Alliston. There's been a persistently delayed review into all aspects of road safety for four years now, suddenly we need an "urgent review" into whether a law which clearly can punish negligent cyclists far harder than the majority of cyclist-killing motorists are likely to be needs to be revised. And as the maximum sentence for "causing death by . . ." has never been used, it clearly needs increasing
And one Guardian day later https://www.theguardian.com/world/bike- ... sse-norman
“I don’t know if there’s evidence about [people being] too scared to cycle,” he says.
There's 40 years of accident stats consistently showing that in the majority of cyclist/vehicle collisions, the motorist is at fault. He's been Road Safety Minister for several months now, he really ought to have the basics understood by now.
What we are going to get is "consulting" negligent motorists - if you ask them "Why did you nearly drive into that cyclist - were they invisible or something?" a significant proportion will say "Yes they were, it wasn't my fault they should wear hi-viz. And helmets for good measure - if it only saves one life . . ." Job done, not too many voters upset.

[reohn2]

Really ? So the one at Curzon Street is a mirage ? or the one at Lichfield ?

How many more are there?

3

Oak common, Birmingham Interchange and Curzon Street

that is all that is needed as non stop between Brum and London

Not a lot for a train line that's supposed to be serving the public get up and down the country or sections of it

[reohn2]

EEK! Its bad enough going to that London intentionally,going there unintentionally is enough to drive a man to drink!

And in London that would hurt you in the pocket pretty badly as well!

Yer not wrong.