Another Quiet Mooring Gone

[Tracy D'arth]

3 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I believe the latest estimate puts it at 106 billion reasons.  Covid bill solved?

 

I did suggest this to Boris, but he was busy.

[Sea Dog]

1 minute ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I did suggest this to Boris, but he was busy.

Yes, I understand Dominic Cummings has him sitting in the corner writing  "I must make the rules so simple that even I can quote them when asked"... 100 times... in joined up writing. 

[nebulae]

The railways had "over capacity" in the 60,s,which is why the Great Central route was closed. Since closure.it has been eliminated in such a way that it can not be re opened. Also,much goods trafic has gone to the roads(i.e.pick up goods calling at small local stations)freeing up track availability. . Just imagine,if Brackley Viaduct had not been pointlesly and expensively destroyed,along with many other structures(all built to the highest standards),the Great Central could have been re opened. People forget that the Great Central Railway was built as a high speed route between the north and a channel tunnel. Long term transport planning in this country leaves much to be desired.!

[Detling]

16 minutes ago, nebulae said:

The railways had "over capacity" in the 60,s,which is why the Great Central route was closed. Since closure.it has been eliminated in such a way that it can not be re opened. Also,much goods trafic has gone to the roads(i.e.pick up goods calling at small local stations)freeing up track availability. . Just imagine,if Brackley Viaduct had not been pointlesly and expensively destroyed,along with many other structures(all built to the highest standards),the Great Central could have been re opened. People forget that the Great Central Railway was built as a high speed route between the north and a channel tunnel. Long term transport planning in this country leaves much to be desired.!

Hear hear.   Short term thinking is wrecking the britain the Victorians built.

[Dav and Pen]

I don’t see a lot of development opportunities being created purely by the railway between London and Birmingham as it has no intermediate stops. The massive house building taking place around us is because of the proximity to the M1, M40 the railway at Banbury and Northampton. This has made is easy to work in London or Birmingham but if the future means working from home for lots of people then they will soon find that the infrastructure to support them in places like Southam and Daventry is already crap and can’t even cope with the existing population.

[BWM]

9 hours ago, Dav and Pen said:

I don’t see a lot of development opportunities being created purely by the railway between London and Birmingham as it has no intermediate stops. The massive house building taking place around us is because of the proximity to the M1, M40 the railway at Banbury and Northampton. This has made is easy to work in London or Birmingham but if the future means working from home for lots of people then they will soon find that the infrastructure to support them in places like Southam and Daventry is already crap and can’t even cope with the existing population.

The development opportunities are created by the destruction left in its wake, instantly converting green belt into brownfield. 

10 hours ago, nebulae said:

The railways had "over capacity" in the 60,s,which is why the Great Central route was closed. Since closure.it has been eliminated in such a way that it can not be re opened. Also,much goods trafic has gone to the roads(i.e.pick up goods calling at small local stations)freeing up track availability. . Just imagine,if Brackley Viaduct had not been pointlesly and expensively destroyed,along with many other structures(all built to the highest standards),the Great Central could have been re opened. People forget that the Great Central Railway was built as a high speed route between the north and a channel tunnel. Long term transport planning in this country leaves much to be desired.!

 Long term vision has been absent in politics here for at least 70 years. 

[Machpoint005]

35 minutes ago, BWM said:

Long term vision has been absent in politics here for at least 70 years. 

 

...meaning that the Attlee government was the last one with long-term vision. I agree. 

[Tonka]

Just got this from the barn owl trust

HS2 - FIRST HAND NEWS Phase one is not only destroying 54 Barn Owl nest sites, it is also abusing those who are standing up for wildlife. A trusted friend just sent us this update... "Back home after an exhausting 4 days at HS2 and I'm feeling pretty shaken to be honest. What else have I learnt?... 1) HS2 are purposefully and systematically using violence and intimidation on a daily basis. Within the space of 24 hours.... a young, kind, gentle, friend of mine was attacked in his car, far from an HS2 site by off-duty eviction team, who recognised him, opened the door and punched him in the face, leaving him with 2 fractures in his jaw. I stood by a young guy who was wrestled violently to the ground and knelt on hard, incidentally the only non-white male amongst a large group of us. I saw people dragged, thrown and pushed. And yesterday a group of us walking along the road outside an HS2 compound were repeatedly driven into by 2 irate HS2 security employees with their cars bumping into our legs multiple times to try and force us out of the way, to the point where my feet were taken out and I landed on the bonnet. HS2 are employing psychologically unstable thugs. 2) A large proportion of HS2 security are ex-military, many (as one told me) unable to travel to their normal private security work in the Middle East due to Covid. These men are trained in armed combat. Who are we? Amongst my companions this weekend a meditation teacher, a market gardener, a musician and ex senior manager of a university - all deeply committed to non-violence. 3) This is a land grab. HS2 are stealing people's land, with compensation being withheld, businesses lost, homes razed to the ground and crops going to ruin. The locals I spoke to were baffled as to the scale of destruction and why areas of woodland and hedgerow far from the proposed line are being felled. 4) The HS2 protestors living on camp are indefatigable. Despite living in increasingly challenging conditions they are resolute, warm and welcoming to all newcomers and go about their work with humour, creativity, joy and above all love for life. There is huge enthusiasm amongst those in our group who visited to return regularly and bring others with us."

[Grassman]

On 07/10/2020 at 09:44, Alway Swilby said:

But its purpose is not to save 30 minutes off the journey time, it's to increase capacity on the rail network to the north because the current railway is full up. If you are building a new railway you might as well make it a high speed one. I'm not saying I agree with it just saying it's not being built just to save journey time.

But with many more people working from home, most of whom will be continuing to do so post-covid, the need to increase carrying capacity has significantly reduced, probably to such an extent that all it would need is the lengthening of existing station's platforms to facilitate longer trains,

[Grassman]

On 06/10/2020 at 12:20, pearley said:

Moored at Wood End Lock on the T & M last night. Moored there often but since last July the field opposite is on the throes of becoming a large compound for HS2 with equipment moving about, reverse alarms sounding and a generator running in the early morning.

 

I know you are talking about the compound and not the actual line, and that will cause more disruption that when it's all completed, but if it hadn't been for the IWA submitting an alternative route to HS2 (which they accepted because it saved them £55m), the line would have crossed the T&M 3 times in the mile between Wood End Lock and Shadehouse Lock. Crossing it once is bad enough but it could have been worse.

[Athy]

2 hours ago, Tonka said:

Just got this from the barn owl trust

HS2 - FIRST HAND NEWS Phase one is not only destroying 54 Barn Owl nest sites, it is also abusing those who are standing up for wildlife. A trusted friend just sent us this update... "Back home after an exhausting 4 days at HS2 and I'm feeling pretty shaken to be honest. What else have I learnt?... 1) HS2 are purposefully and systematically using violence and intimidation on a daily basis. Within the space of 24 hours.... a young, kind, gentle, friend of mine was attacked in his car, far from an HS2 site by off-duty eviction team, who recognised him, opened the door and punched him in the face, leaving him with 2 fractures in his jaw. I stood by a young guy who was wrestled violently to the ground and knelt on hard, incidentally the only non-white male amongst a large group of us. I saw people dragged, thrown and pushed. And yesterday a group of us walking along the road outside an HS2 compound were repeatedly driven into by 2 irate HS2 security employees with their cars bumping into our legs multiple times to try and force us out of the way, to the point where my feet were taken out and I landed on the bonnet. HS2 are employing psychologically unstable thugs. 2) A large proportion of HS2 security are ex-military, many (as one told me) unable to travel to their normal private security work in the Middle East due to Covid. These men are trained in armed combat. Who are we? Amongst my companions this weekend a meditation teacher, a market gardener, a musician and ex senior manager of a university - all deeply committed to non-violence. 3) This is a land grab. HS2 are stealing people's land, with compensation being withheld, businesses lost, homes razed to the ground and crops going to ruin. The locals I spoke to were baffled as to the scale of destruction and why areas of woodland and hedgerow far from the proposed line are being felled. 4) The HS2 protestors living on camp are indefatigable. Despite living in increasingly challenging conditions they are resolute, warm and welcoming to all newcomers and go about their work with humour, creativity, joy and above all love for life. There is huge enthusiasm amongst those in our group who visited to return regularly and bring others with us."

Did he see pigs, as well as barn owls, flying?

[Paul Gwilliams]

4 hours ago, Athy said:

Did he see pigs, as well as barn owls, flying?

I know someone who left her job to join the security for HS2 she came back after a few months telling me all sorts of behaviour of her fellow guards.

 

So in keeping with the animal theme, it was straight from the horses mouth

 

There needs to be an independent investigation into their methods as it seems they've been given carte blanche to do what they want

 

As for HS2 itself It's requirements have changed post covid with everyone working from home and possibly continuing to do. Every independent body looking at it says it's not giving value for money. It'll take a strong person to say enough is enough and pull the plug on it. But it seems there's been so much spent that they have got to carry on

[Machpoint005]

I reckon the plug will be pulled, sooner or later.

 

[Sea Dog]

57 minutes ago, Paul Gwilliams said:

But it seems there's been so much spent that they have got to carry on

Sunk costs - usually not regarded as a sensible over-riding factor when considering the future of such projects.

[IanD]

23 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Sunk costs - usually not regarded as a sensible over-riding factor when considering the future of such projects.

Sensible? Yer 'avin' a larf, aintcha?