Roger Harrabin quote:
"It is remarkable they are willing to spend £120 bn on HS2 while ignoring people's homes."
HS2 gives an increased choice of plane or train to travel between only Four Big Cities - London, Brum, Manchester and Leeds. Some trains may stop at Crewe, Toton and Sheffield.
Yet, for £120 billion on a dedicated line, you still have to maintain the present intercity service for all the towns and cities that HS2 is far too fast to stop at!
High Scam 2 gives such increased capacity for passengers between only four cities and two of their airports, that they get their own First Class train to zip through the air to arrive sooner than the plane! It eliminates overcrowding for them.
All other intercity passengers will get less overcrowding if the present service continues with the same number of carriages and frequency. But it is likely to be cut and/or more stops at new stations, to make for a poorer service overall.
That HS2 gives "improved connectivity for 25 towns and cities" is a lie. The correct figure is 4, with two of their airports and some trains may stop at Crewe, Toton and Sheffield.
That High Scam 2 addresses climate change by lessening the climate emergency is a fraudulent claim. Spending £120 billion means £120 billion of finite resources stolen from future generations. And, £120 billion of fossil fuels burnt to exacerbate the climate, ecological and nature emergency.
The capacity argument is also a fraudulent claim when everyone in the railway business - train enthusiasts, trade unions, employers and workers are still destroying some railway lines leaving others without passenger trains and stations and turning others into tramways.
Their whole emphasis is on light rail (LR) with trams taking over more roads and railways in Brum. With Leeds and Bristol wanting to follow suit.
Trams are called "bus on rails" by UK Tram, the national tram promotion and lobby organisation that is in the same building as TfWM and WMCA, 16 Summer Lane.
Fraudulent Claims for Metro
The Wednesbury, Brierley Hill Extension (WBHE) of Metro must be provided to make it possible for freight and passenger trains to be reinstated, on the same line, at a later date. This is a LIE.
This is done by "passive provision" that is the magical phrase to allow for the mainline railway through the Black Country to be completed - at an unknown date, well into the future. But trams must go on it first! MORE NONSENSE.
Only by converting some buses and trains into Metro can motorists be enticed out of their cars and onto public transport, ie: swish, smart, super expensive Metro "bus on rails" trams! MORE SELF-DELUSION.
Grossly extravagant trams are necessary to make for multi-modal public transport. This is the silver bullet to make for a First Class service to deal with climate, congestion, air pollution and every other problem. ANOTHER LIE.
Multi-modal means an almighty mix up with more changes and delays between now three modes of public transport - bus, train and tram.
Trams are further mixed up into light rail, very light rail and ultra light rail!
Andy Burnham in Manchester complains about the high cost of bus fares. Is this anything to do with his multi-modal mix-up mish mash of train, bus and astonishingly expensive tram construction that has taken over some buses and trains?
In Brum, only Metro being allowed in Five Ways underpass and Broad Street means that every passenger for the city centre (apart from those living within walking distance of Edgbaston village tram stop) now has a longer, slower and more delayed journey - either by staying on the longer diversion for the bus or, by waiting and changing for the tram at Edgbaston.
HS2 and Metro are greedy, wealth flaunting and ecocidal. Both divert finite resources from going into electric buses (phased in) and Fare-Free Public Transport (FFPT) extended from elders to the younger age groups, to end that discrimination against them and, as a carrot, inducement and reward for motorists avoiding the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charge and leaving the car at home.
HS2 and Metro are grossly extravagant and unnecessary.
They are the epitomy of a greedy, all-consuming, squandering society.
Vital, finite resources for future generations are taken without a thought.
In the process, they deepen the runaway greenhouse effect to escalate ecocide.
TimWeller1@gmail.com 22 October 2021
I think that is just the ticket Tim, if you don't mind the pun. The other arguments about woodland destruction, cement use, the high energy use of high speed trains, and it being a toy for the rich can come in at some other time.
I was majoring on stuff no-one else has mentioned, as far as I know. High Scam 2 for a small minority of train travellers, only who can ALL work, read and snooze on intercity trains and, so don't need anything faster. Therefore, completely pointless £120 billion of greenhouse gas emissions to hasten the Sixth Mass Extinction episode in the short history of this planet!
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