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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)
Patrick Sudlow | 10 Jan 2012 2:26 pm
As mentioned by E.W. Lawrence, the Midland Mainline should of been upgraded, along with the rest of the network. When the West Coast Mainline was shut, Midland Mainline ran a much more reliable service than Virgin does on the West Coast. This is just a vanity project, that is diverting much needed investment from the railway network.
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John James | 10 Jan 2012 3:43 pm
I live near Watford and can get to Euston in 30 Minutes. Then HS2 to B'ham? If I take the existing train direct from Watford Junction I will be in B'ham before my HS2 train gets there so only London and SE England will get the benefit.
Will there be any stops en route Euston to B'ham?
If the train was Maglev I might be able to understand the fuss. Still... ...It all makes work for the working man to do ...
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Leigh Gubb | 10 Jan 2012 3:51 pm
How much of this technology and the construction services required will be provided by UK owned businesses? Will it be another wind farm fiasco where all the finance goes overseas and the UK engineering industry suffers from it. So often these days we see the 'smart' engineering coming from overseas even when we have excellent engineers that can do the work in this country.
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Mike | 10 Jan 2012 4:49 pm
The Country is in debt, or so we are told, and yet this Government can throw £32 Bn at this, as a starting cost, (it will rise) and yet this muppet PM expects us to all accept it is better for the country to have a limited expensive service between London and Birmingham of all places.
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Martin | 10 Jan 2012 7:40 pm
The problem I see is that this is something that should have been built twenty years ago. It is time to move on to the next technology such as a monorail system that won't impact on peoples properties or damage the countryside. By the time this hs2 is built the French & Germans will be going much faster on Monorail systems, and the UK will be left way behind again!
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Allan Price | 10 Jan 2012 8:41 pm
Yet another folly to add to the list along with wind turbines, hybrid cars, solar energy, heat pumps and carbon trading. None of these things are economically or environmentaly viable. For anyone hoping to park their car in Birmingham to catch a train, would you like to hazard a guess as to just how much it costs to park a car for a day in Brum? Assuming you can find somewhere to park at all that is.
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Stephen Mosley | 10 Jan 2012 9:13 pm
A very interesting set of statements (with it being so one-sided one can hardly call it a debate!) However there are a number of assumptions that can be questioned and at least two points that can be dismissed. To start with the easy stuff, Mallard was not only working a special train when the steam record was set but she also ran the inner big end bearing whilst doing it. This was not a speed that could be achieved except under special conditions. Secondly you can only re-open previous routes, now shut, if you can find a way of dealing with all the houses, trading estates, roads and nature reserves that generally cover significant sections of them. So, on to points where a view has been put which I think can be realistically questioned. If there are no plans to go further North than Birmingham, all be it branching out to Manchester and Leeds from what I’ve seen, then one must question whether it is required? This is not to say that the North is any less important but to reinforce that an arterial route is exactly that. If we are looking at London as the primary hub then as you move further outwards surely the density of passengers will decrease as people branch off towards their destinations? This works as a concept even with a purely hub to hub system. Then there is the oft typed “I’ll stay at home and just use my computer” argument. When U.K. companies stop paying to fly people out to China then I will believe you do not need to travel. Equally if this is what we find working in the U.K. it is also true for businesses based in Europe, America and the Far East. In support of this general view is the fact that the current lines are running to capacity, if there were no need to travel HS2 would never have even made it this far. Finally there is an aspect which has only been touched on but which I believe is fundamental to any argument for this project to go ahead. How many times have we seen “it only cuts a few minutes from London to Birmingham” and “do that many people want to travel between London and Birmingham?” I cannot help but wonder how many engineers who have posted such comments have also complained about the myopia of politicians? It is not London to Birmingham that is the key but rather Rome to Birmingham, Madrid to Birmingham or Strasbourg to Birmingham. More than this though, as stated above Birmingham isn’t necessarily the destination for people who will travel on this route but rather it will be a hub to the Midlands and the North. So then it becomes Rome to Hull, Madrid to Leeds or Rome to Macclesfield. For success it must better the package of cost and point to point times offered by the airlines, but encouraging international businessmen to come to us and build a face to face working relationship is surely something we cannot ignore?
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Editor Crankshaft | 11 Jan 2012 8:59 am
Please tell me that "However, it wasn’t all plane sailing, as several transport services ... " is an intentional pun and not a result of the sad state of our education system.
I agree that HS2 is not going to deliver enough widespread improvement for the money. The money would be far better spent on improving rural lines into local towns and cities - I have a 30 minute, 20 mile drive to the station to catch a train to take me to the mainline town, where to change I have to talk 20 minutes across town to the mainline station and catch another train to London.
As mentioned by other posters, integrating all forms of transport is vital to making a change to our behaviour. Has anyone given consideration to how one is expected to get a week's worth of shopping home on public transport that entails several changes and a long walk at the end?
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Editor's comments | 11 Jan 2012 8:59 am
'Plane sailing' is indeed a pun.
Ed C | 11 Jan 2012 1:29 pm
My relief is palpable! ;o)
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Helen | 11 Jan 2012 1:41 pm
@Stephen Mosley
Rome to Hull via Birmingham? Really?
The Brum-Hull leg is over 3 hours with a change at Sheffield. London to Hull is 2.5 hours with no change.
What about places off the mainline like Lincoln? How are they served by HS2?
A trip to Birmingham for a two hour meeting means leaving home at 0600 and returning at 2300.
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