Is it really, really worth putting something like this in place to save just half-an-hour off the journey time? And it won't take its first passengers for another 14 years, by which time we will all be wearing jetpacks - or working from home. Crazy IMHO.

30 mins to where?

Not really followed it, but makes sense to me, our mainline train network is an embarrassment, and it creates job in a dormant economy. They should take it all the way to Glasgow and Edinburgh via Newcastle, with a few parallel lines to go through Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.

Phase one of HS2, between London and Birmingham, should be running by 2026, later extending to northern England, she said.

Saving 30 mins NOW is great, but in 14 years time, and it still only saves that length of time, surely we will have moved on to needing something more?

Agreed. Disgusting if it goes ahead.

Biggest waste of money since the Olympics!

Just to compare, the AVE in Spain does Barcelona-Madrid in 2h38m (at 386mile, that's just under 2.4miles a minute), while London-Birmingham with HS2 will take 45m (140mile, so 3.1miles a minute).

Still, for the money there should direct lines to Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow/Edinburgh. The outlay for the Olympics is roughly £10bn

The rail network in the UK is shameful and needs updating so this is a much needed investment. It's a pity it is around 40 years too late but the UK has despised infrastructure investment for decades now.

Anywhere: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/interactiv ... nteractive

You've also got to look at how much crapper and more overcrowded the rail infrastructure will be if we do nothing, and how much that will affect our economy.

Can't see why it can't link to CTRL though.

High speed, Brum to Euston. Lug all your cases off the train down the escalators etc, just 1 stop on the Victoria line, backup all the escalators with your cases to get on the high speed train at St Pancras into Europe. All seems mad when the terminals are so close.

If they say 14 years add on another 5years and another 10 billion to be on the safe side. It will only go as far as Manchester, but it will be funded by ALL tax payers. No wonder Scottish Nationalism is rife.

And who paid for the Holyrood buildings etc to house your Scottish Parish Council????

How much is the Edinburgh tram to nowhere costing????

This isn't the rail network though, is it? It is a line from London-Birmingham. Forgive my simplicity but I rarely use a train but this is going to help a very small percentage of rail users isn't it?

Agreed.

Sounds a bit half-done to me, as I said above it should go to Glasgow and Edinburgh - well Newcastle and the Scots pay for the next bit after they go independent

@Jonathan: the trains can go on the slower line north of Brum...

The Tram to nowhere was paid for by the Tax Payers of Edinburgh alone. There was no Government funding.

There is no economic case for it and the country cannot afford it. Ninety percent of the workers on HS1 were foreign, so to talk about increasing employment is not applicable. Why would you travel west to Birmingham from London to go further north? Commuters from Birmingham will not travel to London to work unless it is for a high salary as jobs such as cleaners and manual workers will not be able to afford the season ticket! The M40 is the best, fastest motorway in the UK - driving to Birmingham is quick and cheap - negates the reason for a train!

Right.

Apparently it makes it 49 mins from Brum Airport to Euston, quicker than Stansted, and probably Heathrow and Gatwick....

most rail lines only benefit a small number when compared to total passengers. If things were only done that helped the majority of rail users then there would be no rail network.
May as well do the same thing when it comes to new roads. Why build a new road id only a small percentage benefit?

Magnetic levitation is incredible fast, why aren't we still looking at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Ultraspeed

If we had these 'maglev' services, you'd be mad to travel by car (if ticket prices are proportionate, and petrol/diesel cost continues to rise). If we are gone to go to the trouble setting this all up, we may as well go for something ridiculously fast.

But there is no money for nurses to be able to do their jobs properly

God i hate Cameron

You can bet so story donating prick is getting the contract for this too

Where's the Brunel spirit

On the basis that we give 8.7 billion to other countries a year and it cost us something like £600,000 per bomb dropped in Libya, not to mention other foreign conflicts, this would seem good value for money. Needs to be extended from Birmingham to Manchester one side and maybe Leeds/York the other side.

It will be great for Brum - open us up to a while new commuter belt and give rise to business opportunities. More money needs to be invested in the country's infrastracture. No need to give great wads of cash to India to help with their space race or Eritrea for the clans to waste on guns.

I have to confess I would be a NIMBY if it was close to me but on the whole, it's a good idea.

This and the Olympics were two decent idead by New Labour. Touche Gaz

Because I can sit in my car and drive anywhere in the country without ever getting out (fuel stops aside). To me, a train is A to B with nothing in the middle. The areas this track will rumble through will not benefit - just those at A and B. I would rather some kind of investment in existing rail lines or, even better using the routes closed but still existing in some shape or form.

And no money to allow me to have my contractual annual increment. Time to dig that 'emigrate to Australia' booklet out the drawer!!

Grass is always greener a record amount of ex pats returned from Oz last year. It's not the walk in the park people think.

We have to invest in our country's infrastructure to build for the future. The railways are old and decaying. Would people have said the same thing about the Channel Tunnel 20 years ago ? Is it still consideed a waste of money ?

But you won't use 95% of the roads so why have them?
The UK needs fast raillinks and not more slow, lumbering, outdated trains and services. A fast link from A to B benefits trade in A and B and as a result benefits those who live or work near A and B. This line will benefit a huge amount of people. It is not just about people who use the train.

Only if you bought shares in it

agreed but they will have a nice pension to fall back on. Oh for a final salary scheme, a nice guaranteed amount

But millions, and millions, and millions of others do - including a whole chain of suppliers to supermakets, villages and towns. I don't see that argument. I can go years without using a train. I use a road every day.

This is going to cost every tax payer a huuuuge amount of money, and benefit far too few to justify it.

Sort the local networks out first.

That's stupid Tory privatisation for you. Why we are all lumbered with sky high utility bills because everything was flogged off cheap

Railways should always be run by the Govt and we need to bring the UK into the 21st centurty or where Japan was 30 years ago.

It is far too late for local networks to be sorted out now. Decades of neglect has destroyed it and no one wants them any more. People use cars.