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Sam Shead
Sam Shead
Reporter
Talking transport
The Engineer is eagerly anticipating the controversial decision for the £32bn High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project that is set to be announced this week by Justine Greening.
The Transport Secretary is expected to give the go-ahead on the project, which would run in two phases from 2016 - 2033, intially cutting journey times from London to Birmingham to 49 minutes, then spreading further north to serve Leeds and Manchester. Scotland’s ruling SNP have urged the UK government to ensure the line also serves Edinburgh and Glasgow.
A report in yesterday’s Sunday Times suggests that double-decker trains with glass viewing ceilings could run on the line. Consultants have drawn up blueprint plans for 400m long trains capable of carrying more than 1,000 passengers.
This week is going to be popular with those who have a passion for all things automotive with a clutch of motor shows expected to provide an insight into the future of the car industry.
Firstly, the Autosport International Racing Car Show starts on Wednesday at the NEC in Birmingham and continues until the end of the week, with the public being granted access from Saturday.
The exhibitors range from specialist engineering companies to major manufacturers and they will be covering everything from karting to F1.
Several conferences worthy of note will be taking place throughout the course of the show, with Wednesday’s International Low Carbon Racing Conference catching the eye. The conference will discuss how clean motor racing technologies are advancing and will see the unveiling of the new Lola-Drayson B12/69EV all-electric prototype racing car.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) starts today at the Cobo Centre in Detroit, Michigan. Visitors can expect to see several vehicle premieres, including the new Bentley Continental GT and Volvo’s concept petrol plug-in hybrid, the XC60, which allows drivers to control how much power is derived from each engine at the touch of a button.
From cars of the future to cars of the year and news that the Car of the Year 2012 award, judged by a panel of European motoring journalists, is set to release a shortlist of seven nominees today, which will be reduced to a single winner on March 5, 2012. Those in the running at this stage include the likes of the BMW 1 series and the Mercedes SLK.
Furthermore, What Car? magazine is announcing its reader’s car of the year award on Wednesday, a title that was claimed last year by the Audi A1.
From the motorway to the runway and news that BAA is set to announce their stats for the Christmas getaway period today. The results are unlikely to be on a par with those from Christmas 2010, when the travel disruption caused as a result of the snow and ice was far more obvious.
However, it wasn’t all plane sailing, as several transport services were affected towards the back end of the Christmas period due to the storms that the UK experienced last week. My own flight from the Isle of Man to London City Airport had to divert to Luton Airport after two failed landing attempts at London City due to the severe gales.
Finally, the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) is teaming up with the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP (GBSLEP) to provide an insight into manufacturing support and future opportunities in the region.
The interactive event will be held at the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce on Friday and will feature presentations from key figures from LEP and MAS, in addition to a host of local companies who have already benefited from tapping into expert strategic advice and guidance.
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Readers' comments (32)
Andy Borucki | 9 Jan 2012 2:36 pm
If Parliament approves the HS2 project, Cameron has ensured a Tory defeat at the next local and General elections, probably scuppered Boris Johnson's re-election as the Mayor of London, and ensured that the Tories remain unelectable for the next decade. When will "call-me-Dave" realise you don't screw your own people. Labour know this basic rule, but Cameron, in his ignorance, is turning into another John Major!
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Harold Birtwistle | 9 Jan 2012 2:39 pm
As far as HS2 is concerned I see that the north / south divide is alive and well as usual. Interesting to note that there are no plans for extension north of Birmingham and that the supposed creation of 1000000 new jobs has been rubbished by many well informed organisations.
Don't you see a parallel between this and Concorde v Jumbo? (Any relationship between Jumbos and white elephants is purely coincidence)
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Anonymous | 9 Jan 2012 2:40 pm
By all means build it, but don't say it increases capacity, since that can be done on the existing line; don't say it's an economic benefit; we've already seen the level of effective subsidy that will apply to each ticket for the businessmen who'll generally use it; don't harp on about reduced journey times, when the train time is likely the middle one third of an overall journey time where two thirds sees no benefit.
Do it to stimulate cionstruction, fine; do it as a vanity project to keep the UK up with other countries, but don't sell it under the false pretences we've seen to date.
We treat the railways with the sort of nostaglia we treat the NHS with, and for much the same reasosn; sadly both are now about 100% overstaffed and 100% overcost and need serious restructuring before throwing good money after bad.
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Davey | 9 Jan 2012 2:53 pm
Peterborough Straight, 1939 a regular steam train (not a tricked-up record breaking gimmick special) with fare-paying passengers runs at 125 mph and achieves the World Record for a train hauled by a steam engine. Looks like Moore's Law doesn't apply to railways!
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Terry Taylor | 9 Jan 2012 3:04 pm
HS2 will do as much for increasing capacity as the M6 Toll roll has done to alleviate congestion on the M6 in the midlands
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Steve Greatwood | 9 Jan 2012 3:28 pm
We already have three rail companies competing train services to Birmingham (Euston, Paddington & Marylebone). Surely we can introduce more capacity by adding more coaches, in British Rail days 10 to 12 coaches were used.
How can the HS2 ever be competitive? This is the Concord vs. Jumbo jet situation again. A direct service Manchester / Birmingham to Brussels, Lille or Paris, now that would make sense.
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Rob Hill | 9 Jan 2012 3:30 pm
It is very interesting to note that the case for HS2 is now being made on the grounds of overcoming capacity contraints. When the project was first launched it was all about the economic value of the time saved. This is surely a sign that the decision was made to have it at any cost regardless of the justification and the arguments were made up later. All the pro-HS2 arguments are either made by obvious vested inetrests or amount to "we are embarrased that other countries have it and we don't". It is almost as if the possession of high speed rail is the right of entry into some elite club of nations. Therefore we have to have it whether it is needed in the UK or not. My view is that we do not need it. Any high speed line only benefits those at the ends of the line which is perfect for countries with centres of population hundreds of miles apart and with sparsley-populated areas in between. We have cities relatively close together and with fairly dense population between the cities. We certainly need improvements to our rail infrastructure but an elitist one line system is not it. Unfortunately, in recent media coverage, the anti HS2 argument is presented as being about the spoiling of pretty rural England. This neatly portrays all the objectors as NIMBY's and, as such, are easily dismissed. The truth is much different. The arguments are about the business case or rather the lack of one.
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richard annett | 9 Jan 2012 3:55 pm
What is the opportunity cost of HS2?
Personally I would prefer to see all the money go on moving to a carbon free economy. Then one can start to think about transport infrastructure again once we are not killing the planet. As the UK was the key developers of the modern industrial world we have a duty to show the rest of the globe that we can now develop a sustainable industrial one. Lets be the first ones there.
Second point - only when the opportunity cost and time of rail = air will I even begin to think about buying a rail ticket. At the moment rail is pricing itself out of existence.
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Robert Freer | 9 Jan 2012 4:04 pm
HS2 will be the new Concorde: clever engineering which no one can afford.
If we have to have it why not build it to a broader gauge to ensure a more comfortable ride?
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Graeme Turner | 9 Jan 2012 6:07 pm
I absolutely agree with previous comments. The analogy to Concorde is a very relevant one - a very fast service which hardly anyone can afford between 2 points which you can only get to and from very slowly.
There is also great truth in the comment regarding "antis" being accused of NIMBY-ism, when the business case for the project is founded on a time before video-conferencing, Skype, and e-mail when the only way for a group of people to simultaneously view and discuss original documents was for them all to be in the same room. I certainly spend a lot less time than I did 20 years ago trekking round the country to meetings - I let the technology - not the train - take the strain.
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