Playing with trains/ HS2 & 3

[Cornet IV]

I can't speak for the WCML but trains between Leeds and London are packed - uncomfortably so for most of the day.

There was plenty of room when I last traveled on that line to enjoy the splendours of the Queen's Hotel in Leeds. But it was in 1960.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Listened to You and Yours yesterday (Tues 29th) and was impressed by the leader of Bucks CC. He was very confident that the more you scratched beneath the surface, the more HS2 (and therefore 3) are very poor uses of taxpayers funds. He made the point that benefit to cost for roads needs to be many times higher than for HS2 before funds are committed.

Come off it. They've been building roads willy-nilly for the last hundred years. Plus one railway. The result? One huge traffic jam.
What did you expect the leader of Bucks CC to say?

[teamsaint]

.
remind me why the government is SO committeds to this particular piece of public expenditure?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22543860

I thought they didn't like spending our money.

[Serial_Apologist]

The point being made that HS2 will speed up inter-city links for businesspersons was rather undermined by an informal audience vote taken at last Friday's Any Questions by the hosting people of Stafford complaining about their exclusion from the government's regional development targetting by not having a station on the line, which happens to pass by the town. The more stations granted, the slower the journey. The minister on the panel promised this would be looked into. Given that HS2 is said to be planned to take 20 minutes off the present trip, it all seems rather contradictory.

[Mr Pee]

Given that HS2 is said to be planned to take 20 minutes off the present trip, it all seems rather contradictory.

20 minutes. How many pounds per minute does that equate to?

[teamsaint]

I would suggest that if "business people" really want to get from Euston to Manchester in less that 2 hours 10, that they get up a bit earlier in the morning.

why is the last train to Manchester from London at 10.00 pm?

[Serial_Apologist]

20 minutes. How many pounds per minute does that equate to?

Not to mention the presumably affordable cab fare at each end.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Given that HS2 is said to be planned to take 20 minutes off the present trip, it all seems rather contradictory.

That rather misses the point. London and Birmingham are quite close together, but the difference will be more marked when the line is extended northwards.

[Serial_Apologist]

That rather misses the point. London and Birmingham are quite close together, but the difference will be more marked when the line is extended northwards.

How many more stops are intended for it, then?

[Mr Pee]

I would suggest that if "business people" really want to get from Euston to Manchester in less that 2 hours 10, that they get up a bit earlier in the morning.

[Vile Consort]

These "business people" of whom you speak are largely just ordinary employees who have the misfortune of having been ordered to attend a meeting 300 miles from where they live. Some of them will have got up well before 5 am in order to catch the first train of the day so as to be in a meeting by 9.30 am.

Those of you who think business travel is a bundle of laughs ought to try it sometime.

By the way, I hadn't realised that the train went faster the earlier the passengers got up. How does that work, exactly?

[Sir Velo]

By the way, I hadn't realised that the train went faster the earlier the passengers got up. How does that work, exactly?

There are obviously folks on this board who have jobs which allow them to lie in, and never have to experience the "delights" of early morning rail travel.

Anyone who does need to make the first service of the day knows the first rule of train travel: the earlier a train leaves the longer it takes to get to its destination. Moreover, it's guaranteed to stop at every single godforsaken station en route. Coupled to this, it invariably waits half an hour at each junction for a connecting service that is anything but.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

By the way, I hadn't realised that the train went faster the earlier the passengers got up. How does that work, exactly?

An example is the revamped Flying Scotsman, leaving Edinburgh at 5.40 a.m., arriving at London King's Cross in exactly 4 hours - the fastest service on the line. I suppose there's nothing in the way at that time.

[teamsaint]

These "business people" of whom you speak are largely just ordinary employees who have the misfortune of having been ordered to attend a meeting 300 miles from where they live. Some of them will have got up well before 5 am in order to catch the first train of the day so as to be in a meeting by 9.30 am.

Those of you who think business travel is a bundle of laughs ought to try it sometime.

By the way, I hadn't realised that the train went faster the earlier the passengers got up. How does that work, exactly?

I travel 40000 miles a year at least on business, so I have plenty of first hand experience, and sympathy for business travellers.
I like trains.
2 hours to get from Manchester to Euston is perfectly reasonable IMO.

[teamsaint]

There are obviously folks on this board who have jobs which allow them to lie in, and never have to experience the "delights" of early morning rail travel.

Anyone who does need to make the first service day of the day knows the first rule of train travel: the earlier a train leaves the longer it takes to get to its destination. Moreover, it's guaranteed to stop at every single godforsaken station en route. Coupled to this, it invariably waits half an hour at each junction for a connecting service that is anything but.

Well given the supposed capacity problems on the lines, some fast morning (and late) trains would help. Be a lot cheaper than £34Bn to implement too.