‘Get grip’ call over rail plan (From Witney Gazette)

Indeed. The government does need to "get a grip".

Be firm, be focussed, and push on ahead with the scheme.

Hear, Hear.
Get a grip and get on with it.
Its about time this countries needs came before NIMBY delaying tactics.

The route 3 for HS2 can be taken further west into more of Oxford with a reduction in the costs. Two aspects could determine this.
1 Is the link to Heathrow and route from Heathrow.
2 Is to move the section further from Aylesbury to which it is too close currently.

As there is no new community benefit from HS2 through Buckinghamshire currently it may become apparent to the Department of Communities and Local Government that further housing development is possible near to Bicester. The price per kilometre of HS2 and interfacing to the existing roads is very high and unwarranted just for time saving or diversionary route from Birmingham to London. Alternatively there is an argument to have the route on the East of the UK to open up Suffolk and Norfolk across to Birmingham and Peterborough near where a node could be located.

With over £300Billion to be along term cost of new motorways and HS2 the Chairman is right to call for sounder analyses of the aesthetics of the landscape and map.

chriseaglen wrote:
The route 3 for HS2 can be taken further west into more of Oxford with a reduction in the costs. Two aspects could determine this.
1 Is the link to Heathrow and route from Heathrow.
2 Is to move the section further from Aylesbury to which it is too close currently.

As there is no new community benefit from HS2 through Buckinghamshire currently it may become apparent to the Department of Communities and Local Government that further housing development is possible near to Bicester. The price per kilometre of HS2 and interfacing to the existing roads is very high and unwarranted just for time saving or diversionary route from Birmingham to London. Alternatively there is an argument to have the route on the East of the UK to open up Suffolk and Norfolk across to Birmingham and Peterborough near where a node could be located.

With over £300Billion to be along term cost of new motorways and HS2 the Chairman is right to call for sounder analyses of the aesthetics of the landscape and map.

I'm sure the chairman is very important.

They do tend to be in the single issue groups in which they circulate.

chriseaglen wrote:
The route 3 for HS2 can be taken further west into more of Oxford with a reduction in the costs. Two aspects could determine this.
1 Is the link to Heathrow and route from Heathrow.
2 Is to move the section further from Aylesbury to which it is too close currently.

As there is no new community benefit from HS2 through Buckinghamshire currently it may become apparent to the Department of Communities and Local Government that further housing development is possible near to Bicester. The price per kilometre of HS2 and interfacing to the existing roads is very high and unwarranted just for time saving or diversionary route from Birmingham to London. Alternatively there is an argument to have the route on the East of the UK to open up Suffolk and Norfolk across to Birmingham and Peterborough near where a node could be located.

With over £300Billion to be along term cost of new motorways and HS2 the Chairman is right to call for sounder analyses of the aesthetics of the landscape and map.

Is this 'Newspeak'??

I surrender! 'bullshine baffles brains' yet again.

I do hope the new train lines get built soon.

xjohnx wrote:

chriseaglen wrote:
The route 3 for HS2 can be taken further west into more of Oxford with a reduction in the costs. Two aspects could determine this.
1 Is the link to Heathrow and route from Heathrow.
2 Is to move the section further from Aylesbury to which it is too close currently.

As there is no new community benefit from HS2 through Buckinghamshire currently it may become apparent to the Department of Communities and Local Government that further housing development is possible near to Bicester. The price per kilometre of HS2 and interfacing to the existing roads is very high and unwarranted just for time saving or diversionary route from Birmingham to London. Alternatively there is an argument to have the route on the East of the UK to open up Suffolk and Norfolk across to Birmingham and Peterborough near where a node could be located.

With over £300Billion to be along term cost of new motorways and HS2 the Chairman is right to call for sounder analyses of the aesthetics of the landscape and map.

Is this 'Newspeak'??

I surrender! 'bullshine baffles brains' yet again.

I do hope the new train lines get built soon.

It is a little baffling. More extensive use of punctuation may have helped.

From what I can gather, they seem to be against HS2 serving London, but calling for the HS2 to serve Heathrow then a further HS3 to serve Birmingham, Peterborough then Norfolk with a transort Hub or "Node" linking Motorways and HS3 near Peterborough. Then a further HS4 to serve Birmingham to Ipswich.

Whilst it is a bit of a nuisance to get to Suffolk from Birmingham by train, I'm not convined of the merits of a High Speed rail link between the two.

If people like Bernie Douglas are so knowledgeable about this and many other schemes, why do they not put themselves up for selection as the local MP. It seems that here in Oxfordshire we have so many people that know better than the Government and experts with many years experience, yet only waste that talent by complaining to the local press, instead of actually doing something constructive. Perhaps if the HS2 took a route through Herts ,Bucks, Nothhants, and Warwicks, then Mr Douglas would be happy, but what about his counterparts in those counties. If we are going to listen to every village bigmouth then we will not even be building a public toilet, let alone a railway.

The time for talking is long over.

Just get it done!

Insignificant analysis has resulted in the UK being in the dire straits it is well in. HS2 is in the wrong place for economic development and needs to be replanned. Punch and Judy comments will not help repair the HS2 failures to date. The use of upto 20 square kilometers of Britian for railways and roads of the future is a significant impact on many communities and the Chairman is right to warn of the consequences of the poor planning todate. HS2 consultants question the current project and simply want the work but do not see the project materialising as proposed.

20sq kilometres...

Not very much in the overall scheme of things really is it? Particularly when it's stretched out over 190 kilometres long and much of it follows disused routes or is underground.

It's good for a Chairman to have a close supporter.

I always like to undertake cross-reference checks, particularly with your comment about the country being "dire straits" and the note about consultants...

Many people believe that it is the fault of "the bankers" that we are in this mess. Takes a mere few moments to find your chairman was a former vice-president of a US bank.

Few moments longer to identify that he is a consultant. So tell me, is it from personal experience that you find consultants undertake projects simply because they want the work?

Living in Hounslow, wouldn't you prefer congestion on existing services to be eased when you are visiting your chairman by public transport?

Or do you drive?