Major stoppage South Oxford Canal

[Hudds Lad]

6 hours ago, matty40s said:

The bridge directly ahead is the construction road bridge, the new HS2 bridge will be beyond. You can see the (non-traditional) walls to the left.

 

This is taken looking right(NW) , the piling needs bashing down further, the bank building up behind, and a bridge sticking over.

 

The worker shouted that he didnt want his picture taking so I just shouted turn round then.

Not vastly different to when we were there in July

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

In fairness there’s a wall and piling now present since September 9th last year though the vegetation growth may have progessed as fast . View from the other way. 
 

 

Hopefully the HS2 trains will proceed faster in future but the speed limit seemed underwhelming last year 

 

 

 

8 hours ago, NB Alnwick said:

I find the whole HS2 business very worrying - huge sums are being paid to private contractors to move materials back and forward by road. There are parking lots full of expensive equipment that never appears to move and more than five years into the project I don't think they have laid any railway track.

By contrast when the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway built its extension to Marylebone (which was to become the Great Central Railway main line) in the 1890s, and, they completed the work in four years by using a temporary railway to move materials and equipment.

Sadly much of this superbly engineered railway was closed and abandoned in 1966 largely as a result of the politics of old rivalries. I say sadly because the Great Central main line that was built to connect Manchester and Sheffield with London and a proposed Chanel tunnel could so easily have performed the functions intended for HS2 (and more) without the expense or disruption that we are now seeing!

I couldn’t agree more.  I’m sure our friend with the electric powered boat and others will pounce and advise that it is all being correctly overspecced to the nth degree to save lives and make sure  embankments don’t start slipping in 100 years.
 

I expect some lives could have sadly been lost in construction of the Grand Central and it was extremely tough going for the constructors so we have probably progressed. However if you look closely other factors eg environmental impact waste of resources , lack of gainful employment awful eyesore for centuries etc etc then the pendulum of progress may not be so positive.

 

I think much of the toing and going of spoil is from the tunnelling that’s been going on, that’s been extensive. I believe the tunnel near Long Itchington has been completed? The changes and work over 3 years by bridge 31 near Welsh Rd lock  on the GU has been huge. 

[LadyG]

It was obvious from Day 1 that the whole venture would be an expensive project which might benefit a few people travelling from London to Birmingham but that it would be outrageously expensive and create chaos, disrupt lives, etc etc.

There is little doubt that the rail network needs upgrading, but the approach chosen is so wrong that it defies logic.

 

Edited September 6 by LadyG

[Mike Todd]

24 minutes ago, LadyG said:

It was obvious from Day 1 that the whole venture would be an expensive project which might benefit a few people travelling from London to Birmingham but that it would be outrageously expensive and create chaos, disrupt lives, etc etc.

There is little doubt that the rail network needs upgrading, but the approach chosen is so wrong that it defies logic.

 

Methinks you perhaps dont follow the issues of freight traffic, it is one of those matters that falls below red top radar. But it has a lot to do with HS2.

[matty40s]

36 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Methinks you perhaps dont follow the issues of freight traffic, it is one of those matters that falls below red top radar. But it has a lot to do with HS2.

Which is why it is such a stupid decision to run the HS2 trains on the West Coast mainline north of Birmingham.

Along with the fact that the stations are not disabled access friendly so the carriages will have to be redesigned with extra steps....another £100m

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

Methinks you perhaps dont follow the issues of freight traffic, it is one of those matters that falls below red top radar. But it has a lot to do with HS2.

There are other options. 

The HS2 has been touted as required for rail passengers, well, I'm not one of them, and I'm not convinced that saving 20 mins from Birmingham to London is a relevant statistic.

I know that if I was living in a nice part of the country which was about to be decimated, I would be extremely angry, not withstanding that someone somewhere is able to get a few pallets of bricks delivered today rather than tomorrow.

 

[MtB]

The bit I don’t understand is how government spending on stuff like HS2 counts as GNP. 

 

GNP will be about £100bn higher as a result of HS2 if i understand correctly, which seems to be regarded as good thing by just about everyone. 

[matty40s]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

.. I'm not convinced that saving 20 mins from Birmingham to London is a relevant statistic.

I 

 

You wont even save that once you reach the end at Old Oak Common, another 20/30 minutes including change to tube, other train, Elizabeth Line to Central London.

[1st ade]

3 hours ago, LadyG said:

The HS2 has been touted as required for rail passengers, well, I'm not one of them, and I'm not convinced that saving 20 mins from Birmingham to London is a relevant statistic.

I've said it before, I'll say it again - the NAME is wrong; it's not "High Speed" it's (more than) doubling capacity whether freight or passenger. But "More Freight II" doesn't cut the mustard with the marketing people...

[mrsmelly]

8 minutes ago, 1st ade said:

I've said it before, I'll say it again - the NAME is wrong; it's not "High Speed" it's (more than) doubling capacity whether freight or passenger. But "More Freight II" doesn't cut the mustard with the marketing people...

Will it get me from West Wales to my mates house mull of Kintyre quickly and at less cost?

[1st ade]

18 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Will it get me from West Wales to my mates house mull of Kintyre quickly and at less cost?

No - but it will give you less chance of a goods train getting underfoot (long-standing [literally!] commuter with experience of "the 06:32 is delayed because..."; yes,we can see why it's delayed, a frickin freight train rolled through a few minutes before and now has right of way all the way to Wilesdon...)

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, 1st ade said:

I've said it before, I'll say it again - the NAME is wrong; it's not "High Speed" it's (more than) doubling capacity whether freight or passenger. But "More Freight II" doesn't cut the mustard with the marketing people...

But as a result of the last government's actions it will actually decrease capacity north of Birmingham (so much for 'levelling up'), and any time savings for passengers to/from London will be nullified by the need to change trains at Old Oak Common.

[1st ade]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

But as a result of the last government's actions it will actually decrease capacity north of Birmingham (so much for 'levelling up'), and any time savings for passengers to/from London will be nullified by the need to change trains at Old Oak Common.

Northern England (and Scotland) agreed - but it was never meant to reduce journey time significantly, what it was meant to do was increase capacity.

[system 4-50]

3 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Will it get me from West Wales to my mates house mull of Kintyre quickly and at less cost?

If you buy a freight ticket, yes.  How much do you weigh?

[Mike Tee]

Recently we have tried to use the railway due to boat breakdowns, trying to fetch the car as it was in the wrong place etc - the proportion of our failed journeys is remarkably high with trains turning up late, not turning up at all, changing where the train will stop midway through a journey and the people who work at the stations not having a clue what is going on. Then when all else fails, just close the office and go home - they really did this at Lichfield!

They can't even run the system they have now so I'm not holding my breath that HS2 will be any more efficient. 

[GUMPY]

Did I read somewhere the trains for HS2 are the wrong size for the tunnels? 

No it was this:

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/hs2-trains-too-high-existing-station-platforms/#:~:text=The issue with the height,they need a bigger platform.

[LadyG]

On 06/09/2024 at 13:24, matty40s said:

You wont even save that once you reach the end at Old Oak Common, another 20/30 minutes including change to tube, other train, Elizabeth Line to Central London.

Exactly,  personally I have rarely  travelled any distance in to London by rail. Rail links already exist for those who need it, they just need to be modernised. If people choose to work in London they should accept that life is not perfect for anyone, but transport in London is far more frequent for them than for the majority of the population of this country.

[NB Alnwick]

A couple of views of the new structure - taken from our boat last week.

It would be nice if HS2 money could be used to rebuild the original canal bridge in the background as well as dredging out some of the accumulated silt!

 

[matty40s]

On 06/09/2024 at 19:11, GUMPY said:

Did I read somewhere the trains for HS2 are the wrong size for the tunnels? 

Yes, you did read that.

The section of cut, drop in the concrete tunnel rounds and fill back over near Chipping Warden was delayed as the tunnel pieces arrived the wrong size(too small), and a new batch had to be created.

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Yes, you did read that.

The section of cut, drop in the concrete tunnel rounds and fill back over near Chipping Warden was delayed as the tunnel pieces arrived the wrong size(too small), and a new batch had to be created.

 

Hopefully not that old trope of a drawing with dimensions in inches being read and made in centimetres, lol!! 

 

It probably never actually happened, anywhere actually...

 

 

[matty40s]

Just now, MtB said:

 

Hopefully not that old trope of a drawing with dimensions in inches being read and made in centimetres, lol!! 

 

It probably never actually happened, anywhere actually...

 

 

It did happen, that's why that stretch hasnt been filled back over yet. A friend lives very close and walks dog past site regularly and gets all the gossip, including the fact that £2m worth of plant has been sat there for 18 months and has never been used, and never will be on that site.

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, matty40s said:

It did happen, that's why that stretch hasnt been filled back over yet. A friend lives very close and walks dog past site regularly and gets all the gossip, including the fact that £2m worth of plant has been sat there for 18 months and has never been used, and never will be on that site.

 

If HS2 seems expensive, the bill for repairing the House of Commons will make yer eyes water. The estimate is £22bn apparently, and given everything the govvermint does costs twice what was expected, stand by for a bill of £44bn. This is probably why they cancelled the useful bits of HS2, to pay for it. Just about.