HS2

[Catmint]

I live in a place which will be badly affected by HS2B if it goes ahead.

I'm against the project on economic, environmental and social grounds.

What do other mumsnetters think?

No one?

I live in the North West. Our trains are appalling so I would vote for improving services in the North before building HS2

Spend the money on public transport in the regions instead.

Dead against HS2 its going to do appalling damage to the environment and to communities. It needs scrapping and the money used towards better/faster national internet coverage.

LIvein central London. It is wrecking our area. I hate it. It makes me depressed. Someone is making a. Lot of money from it.. it is not needed. It is a scandal. I could go on and on.

Live in one of the areas affected by stage 1. Absolutely horrified that it’s still meant to go ahead despite being a complete shambles.

I work in Leeds and my office building will need to be demolished to make way for the platforms. That doesn’t really bother me, but HS2 just seems so unnecessary now. It only takes a little over 2 hrs to get from London to Leeds as it is, and ever imprint technology is reducing the need fir this journey all the time

I’d much rather have improved investment in transpennine rail links, and rural public transport.

I'm in Bucks with HS2 going through very near. I'm not overly precious about development normally (I work in construction) but it seems that HS2 is going to adversely affect so many people that it is not worth doing. It's not just the people losing their houses and their farms and other businesses (although this is bad enough), the disruption to the road networks around all of the works will be horrific for years and the pollution caused by it will be damaging. They are cutting through ancient woodlands that are supposed to be protected (unless you want a train apparently), Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and other supposedly protected and archaeological sites. The cost seems to be spiralling weekly and you know that the end bill will be at least double the current thinking. Ultimately I don't think it will make one iota of difference to businesses and growth further north so it will all have been for nothing. I agree with others, invest in improving the existing infrastructure and internet and everyone will be better off.

Ive seen the plans for Leeds and still can't comprehend how the powers that be can't see what a clusterfuck of shite it will be.

Public transport is appalling for such a major city and taxis and cars are being driven (pun intended) out of the city centre so I'm not sure who will benefit at all from HS2 coming to Leeds apart from a select few London-Leeds financial businesses, and surely, as PP said two hours is already an acceptable journey time.

I really, really hope someone sees sense and stops this vanity project.
We should be concentrating on the existing transport system not wasteing billions on something most of us will never use that will cause massive distruction

HS2 is an awful project and may affect our water supply. The vital road to a busy town is permanently shut and it is ruining the environment. It sucks.

I think the money would be better spent by giving the 10 biggest conurbations outside London £5billion each to develop team systems-this is far more likely to reduce road use than getting to Birmingham 20 minutes earlier. The West Coast mainline has been upgraded over the last 25 years, has tilting trains and except HS1 is probably the most advanced railway in Britain. The business case for it is based on the premise that you can’t work on a train, so the shortened travel time means you’ll be more productive, but the trains will all be fitted with WiFi. Of course people have always worked on trains well before computers were invented.

I think it's a ridiculous expense, especially now. We don't have sensible joined up public transport in the SW at all. You can get from Exeter to London (not that anyone can afford to), but if you live near Exeter then you can't get a train to, say, Sidmouth (no station) or Yeovil easily at all.

Sort out trains and decent buses for your poorer Citizens, making it easier for them to get better jobs, before you facilitate the lifestyles of the rich who can get from A to B but want to get there a bit quicker.

FGS, we have ordinary working people who have to use food banks. Is HS2 really a good use of current resources? Why is anyone in Europe going to use it once Brexit happens (except holiday makers maybe)?

Yes, environmentally it is SHITE. Needs to be stopped on those grounds alone.

It's an atrocious waste of money and will be a blight on the landscape where I live. It makes.me so sad that pretty little villages are being destroyed, people forced to move from homes that they love all so that rich people can get to London 20 minutes faster. 20 fucking minutes. Arrggh

I keep hoping against hope that it will get axed. Maybe once we know how screwed we are economically after Brexit it will be an easy saving? Apparently the government is already looking at 'white elephant' schemes to pull the plug on.

Interesting that Maglev was rejected on the grounds that it would be more expensive but turns out to have been cheaper, as well as simpler, safer and faster.

Now expect London-Brum to go ahead and maybe then Manchester, but dream on Leeds and Sheffield, and don't be surprised if it's scaled back to something no better than the current East Coast Mainline.