UK Infrastructure

Against HS2. Against Heathrow expansion. Two terrible ideas!

Better solutions are available

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@danielmgmoylan I suggested to the Govt years ago that HS2 could start from St Pancras (adjacent to Euston) but they didn't reply to my letter.

St Pancras could have been ideal for connectivity. HS1 and the Midland Mainline terminate there & HS2 could have used some of the latter, saving costs

[James Harris: Politics @jh_politics]

Incredibly ....

52-page HS2 Annual EDI report: https://t.co/Wl1ajcwdp8

12-page HS2 guide to tunnelling costs: https://t.co/TOxasoOMKH

HS2 should be reviewed/scrapped before we waste any more money on it.

[James Harris: Politics @jh_politics]

Remember that @Andrew_Adonis did not just design this HS2 trainset. He continued to advocate it, too.

He also continued to oppose Brexit.

How wrong can one person be?

[Richard Tice MP 🇬🇧 @TiceRichard]

ABSURDITY OF HS2💥

HS2 Trips from London to Birmingham ‘will be SLOWER than current route💥

A £100bn trainset from a London suburb to a Birmingham suburb💥

First loss is best loss

SCRAP ALL HS2 NOW https://t.co/OExFnhzoSU

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

Finally, the Government seems close to agreeing with @TiceRichard (and many others of us, too) about cutting our losses over HS2.

[Edward Malnick @malnick]

💥Rishi Sunak could axe the second half of HS2 as soon as this week after an £8bn increase in costs put it on course to wipe out budget for other projects

💥PM and Hunt to meet within days

💥Source: “There is a reluctance to throw good money after bad."
https://t.co/GKugDkbdPh

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@tomhfh @BrendanChilton Rather than HS2 the Government could have developed the Midland Main Line (shown). It would automatically have linked all these locations to HS1.

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@CityAM Heathrow could do with better competition.
https://t.co/exhfU6R7Q1

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@DavidGHFrost @RishiSunak People per sq km:

London: 5,596
North West: 526
North East: 308
South West: 240

Rather than further overcrowd London why not encourage development elsewhere?

src: https://t.co/5sicBYhAlM

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@david_r_morgan The 737-Max should never have been allowed to fly in the first place. The fact they continued to be allowed to fly after the first one crashed is inexcusable.

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@tomhfh There's no need to build on farmland.

In fact, there's lots of space in the North and West. Development there would also help spread prosperity

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

Surely not!!! 😬

[RAF_Luton @RAF_Luton]

Fact of the Day: The first Bomb Disposal team was formed in 1715 during the Battle of Agincourt after volunteer Sgt Ivor Bigg-Bange "Made Safe" a Sea Explosive Armed Lump that was washed up on the beach at Scunthorpe

📸 from a Canberra

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@SimonZev @BRCWCo @LanceForman @trussliz Automated trains don't need new track (and trains are a lot simpler to automate than cars which are coming to a road near you).

HS2 is a £100bn waste of money (our money).

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@BRCWCo @LanceForman @trussliz To be clear to anyone reading that tweet in future, that "linked" means using comms and computer control / awareness, not physical coupling

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@BRCWCo @LanceForman @trussliz If capacity were really an issue someone ought to be looking at how to get more trains per km of track - preferably driverless and linked and therefore able to run significantly closer to each other.

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@BRCWCo @LanceForman @trussliz The point of difference, here, is that you, BRCW, are too close to existing practice (and maybe have a vested interest) which leaves you stuck in antiquated thinking and unable to consider how things might be done in future.

Let's agree to stop this conversation. OK?

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@BRCWCo @LanceForman @trussliz Why would you put 45mph trains on a high-speed line???

And if you had no choice but to do so, wouldn't you schedule them only at times of low demand and/or route them as quickly as possible to other lines?

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

Having programmed computers for a living I wouldn't yet want to get into a car which was controlled by software (or share a road with such a vehicle).

There's too much danger of the car facing a situation the software would fail to cope with.

https://t.co/EAtOzau1Go

[Andy Cordiner @acordinericlou1]

What a joke.....Network Rail now say that upgrading West Coast Line is the priority project in rail.....remember how they told Parliament in 2013 how it would be too disruptive upgrading WCML and that’s why #hs2 was needed! https://t.co/L7PMS5InR4

[UK Infrastructure @ukinfr]

@DCBMEP @Eurostar @grantshapps Isn't Eurostar primarily the responsibility of a French government which owns 55% of it (https://t.co/hVVKLYh7yY)?

And if the present operator fails but the route is viable won't other companies be keen to take over?