Chris: Rail Focus
@EngFocus
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Freelance transport & engineering journalist and railway campaigner. Info @EngineeringFocus .co.uk he/him/they/them 🏳️🌈
North West, UK
Joined October 2010
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People seemingly only now realising the cost that has been imposed by a small but vocal group of people who made it their mission to make the construction of HS2 as difficult as possible. Not to mention the cost of legal battles and additional security to keep workers safe.
Tell me this isn't the most frustrating thing you've ever seen.
We're burying most of this train line for literally no reason at all. Ballooning costs, just so people don't have to look at a train in a flat field.
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Comments on yesterday's video "it's not too late to cancel HS2" we can just leave half built structures all over the place 🤦🙄
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Ah yes the "emergency vehicle" argument. 🤷
If cars and trucks are banished from the pedestrian village, how are medics in ambulances to get to victims of heart attacks? How are the infirm elderly to be taken by relatives and friends to medical appointments?
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The gap on platform 4 at Chester is ridiculous. I knew it was bad, but never seemed that bad when boarding a Voyager.
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And we were told people opposed
#HS2
because it was "high speed" or that it didn't have intermediate stations. Nope Brits just love opposing infrastructure 🤷
Campaigners rally against East West Rail route in fresh bid to get Government to cancel scheme
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It's always great to see freight on rail, but can't help but feel it shouldn't be passing through one of the most constrained rail corridors in the country.
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So Sunak based his decision on some spad who convinced him scrapping HS2 was a vote winner? And now they're surprised it had no effect. Sounds about right.
No 10 said to be 'bruised' that conference, particularly HS2, did not shift dial
Tory MPs concerned King's Speech & Autumn Statement will underwhelm
Economic constraints will severely limit room for manoeuvre in Autumn Statement
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Work starts on UK’s most expensive road project under construction
£100m per mile! But building railways is too expensive 👀
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Oxford to Cambridge railway link compared to 'failed' HS2
Do the people behind these sorts of "reports", protests and legal challenges not realise they're a big part of the problem with building anything in the UK?
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If I'm reading this correctly an inheritance tax cut would cost almost as much over 6 years as HS2 2a &b?!
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I don't know why the railway seems to get so much flack from the press when there's disruption caused by extreme weather, but roads seem to get a free pass. Pictured is a brand new road, closed within weeks due to flooding. I think our 200 year old railway deserve some slack.
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Oh, FFS, trust the Daily Fail not to appreciate how things are actually constructed 🤦. Was there such utter tripe reported when the motorway network was constructed?
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It's time for the yearly reminder that "the railways" ie the track and stations are publicly owned. Fare rises are set by Government. Timetables, routes and rolling stock dictated by Government. Northern, LNER, TPE, TfW, Scotrail & Southeastern already directly operated 1/2
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"Rail services worse after Northern Powerhouse plan - mayor"
Northern Hub, ❌ cancelled
HS2 phase 2, ❌ cancelled
NPR, ❌ Cancelled
It's almost like the Tories don't give a damn about the North.
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@Peston
@kitchentowel
Please tell me you're not going to swallow the "re-allocation of funds" line. You know that's not how infrastructure spending works and there are no shovel ready projects to "re-allocate funds" too. If he says it will be "re-allocated" to TRU, that will be a lie!
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New Staffordshire-Manchester rail line proposed
A new line is needed between Handsacre and Manchester, who could've predicted that?!
#HS2
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Needless to say I really dislike this plan. Just build was already flipping planned and stop wasting time, energy and money. HS2 phase 2 is the best way to connect Manchester and Birmingham and is the most likely way NPR would be delivered
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Imagine being a lover of the Channel Tunnel and CTRL, but being a vocal opponent domestic HSR which would benefit the North of the UK. Bizarre 🤔
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Has
@AndyBurnhamGM
been told by Labour to tone it down regarding HS2? I find it strange that he's peddling Tory nonsense about "freed up money". He knows full well the Tories have no interest in providing £12bn for a new line between Liverpool & Manchester
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This is really important. If Manchester is served by only by HS2 3 trains per hour, that are only 200m long, this will actually deliver a reduction in seating capacity vs what Manchester has today!
@MENnewsdesk
@RishiSunak
#HS2
#CPC23
#CPC2023
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DMU shortage just gets worse and worse. There's no rolling stock strategy in this country, and the situation isn't helped by the Government promising large scale electrification then pulling the plug instead relying on "technology", leaving TOCs and ROSCOs in limbo.
Services on
@SW_Help
West of England line under restricted emergency timetable "until further notice" because biodiesel is clogging fuel pipes and filters on most of the Class 158/9 trains at Salisbury depot. Engineering director Neil Drury explains:
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Ah yes, "rail enthusiast" has come to mean anyone who thinks the nation should have a great railway' network instead of supporting yet more car dependence.
@EngFocus
We don’t oppose all new infrastructure. The business case for the Bedford to Cambridge section of EWR is dreadful. £4million per Cambridge commuter. I wish rail enthusiasts would consider taxpayer value for money occasionally.
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Rishi getting desperate. Is cancelling CapEx to fund OpEx really the sign of a "great nation"?
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What ever people's thoughts on HS2 are, surely they can see that scrapping the section to Manchester is an insult to the North. Without
#HS2
to Manchester we can forget about Northern Powerhouse Railway and any hope of improved links to Scotland.
EXCLUSIVE:
Rishi Sunak warned by David Cameron and Boris Johnson not to drop second leg of HS2 to Manchester
Johnson tells Times that pushing ahead with a 'mutilated' line would be 'insanity'
Michael Gove also opposed
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Why don't people use buses 🤔
❌ No timetable on bus stop
❌ Difficult to read displays on buses
❌ Grumpy bus driver when I stopped wrong bus
❌ £5.50 return 3 mile journey
✅ USB charging points
✅ Bus driver of correct bus was friendly enough.
Still not a great experience
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£9bn for 14 miles of road, yet supposed greens with 🍃🍃🍃 by their names are outraged by an electric railway
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If only there was an alternative route that didn't leave passengers from the North stranded 🤔
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HS2 being scrapped means fewer trains and higher rail prices, experts warn
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Train to Liverpool is absolutely packed! But no one's.......
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It's funny, the Tories are trying to make HS2 politically toxic, by using this "reallocation of funds" lie (us vs them). But in fact people seem to finally be realising what HS2 was for and actually building it was/is a good idea.
We're taking action to help people with the cost of living.
Redirecting funding from HS2 means we can extend the £2 bus fare cap on single journeys in England until 31 December 2024, helping millions more passengers get out and about for less.
#GetAroundForTwoPounds
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Everything must look like it did in the 1800s, regardless of cost, timescale and CO2 impact 🙄
What railway bridge would you rather was built near you? This is what the British public think. And here’s why it matters if we want to
#GetBritainBuilding
and
#CreateConsensus
that transcends politics … 🧵 ⬇️
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Trainbows!!
@EastMidRailway
Class 158 and
@AvantiWestCoast
Class 390 at Manchester Piccadilly 🌈❤️
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So the Tories in a bid to prove 'they're good with finances' have cancelled spending which wasn't expected to kick in until 2027, on a transformational project. And instead are going to spend money next year on random ad hoc projects with no BCR calculations?
#HS2
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"The facts have changed", yet increasing numbers of people are using rail. 26.6m passengers used Avant last year despite the poor level of service and industrial action.
Hugely encouraging figures from the Great British Railways Transition Team published today show that an upturn in leisure travel has boosted quarterly rail revenue by £295 million - further evidence that customers are returning in a big way.
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Rails! It's getting close now. Could be hope for a late 2024 opening? Perhaps a little ambitious
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This is a little bit of good news for beleaguered XC. The only real issue, other than diesel under the wires, is the inability of 5 car sets to work in multiple. So will have to ensure 8 car formations stay on the busiest routes
It’s now 12 additional
@AlstomUK
221/1s for
@CrossCountryUK
, instead of the previously confirmed seven. They are coming from
@AvantiWestCoast
as
@HitachiRailENG
80x fleets enter traffic.
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👀
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New mile-long dual carriageway will cost £147m
But new building roads is apparently cheaper than building new railways.......
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Be interesting to see if the Woodland Trust continues to effectively give LTC a free pass whilst spending considerable time and money opposing an electric railway 🤔
'Lower Thames Crossing: Trees along planned route are ancient woodland'
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What? Can they legally enforce penalty fares if you have a valid ticket? I'm sure I've been allowed through Lime St underground with an e-ticket
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Everyone's working from home, so we don't need to invest in rail infrastructure. Meanwhile there are still 28 flights from Glasgow Airport to London airports a day!
#NetworkNorth
completely fails Scotland and the
@theSNP
@ScottishLabour
should be furious.
#HS2
#SunaksFolly
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Opponents so blinded by HS2 opposite they're throwing weight behind Stafford bypass, even though it is basically Phase 2a. We should just rename Phase 2a to Stafford bypass, maybe it'd gain more support then 🙄.
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Given Curzon St will only be served by 3tph it's difficult to see how 7 platforms can be justified, but the first sections of approach are just about to be poured, so it's too late to stop now. So the only thing Sunak can re-scope is perhaps the roof.
#HS2
#SunaksFolly
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Having worn PPE on occasions I feel for the 10k+ engineers working on the railway wearing full PPE in 25°C heat, whilst people take to twitter to attack Network Rail for closing the railway. Spare a tbought for those working hard for our benefit.
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@HardHatAlex
And people think weather warnings are a joke, yet decided to go out unprepared anyway.
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A 30 year old train apparently better than brand new units? 🤔
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So
@RishiSunak
is going to build around half
#HS2
phase 2b, the most expensive bit (tunnel under Manchester) and new Piccadilly station platforms for 3 or 4 trains per hour? I'll believe that when I see it!
#NetworkNorth
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We don't more capacity on the WCML, say man traveling on the WCML 🧐
3rd time in 5 months I’ve travelled to London by train. 3rd time I’ve had to do this. We don’t need HS2, we need proper investment in the current rail network. Thank you
@AvantiWestCost
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Whether you're opposed, indifferent or supportive of
#HS2
a PM taking a unilateral decision which goes against a project that has had Parliamentary support for a decade should be concerning and deserves scrutiny.
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The proposed service diagrams for each phase really does highlight how absurd it would be if
#HS2
were only built between Old Oak Common and Birmingham. I just don't think people realise how for and wide the benefits of HS2 would be spread if built to Manchester.
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It's amazing how many "retired train drivers" oppose HS2 and always assert themselves as pre-eminent experts, even when they don't seem to know the WCML is largely 4 tracked already 👀.
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Still a lot of 2 car trains working on the TfW network, but hopefully that will change this year, with 3-car being the minimum 🤞
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@Penmcgregor
There's a difference between genuine local concerns and the well funded campaign against HS2, backed by cash from local authorities. I know there are many factors, but tunneling in open countryside, litigation, and protesters have added to the cost.
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Can someone please add a community note. The lies and misinformation are getting out of hand. Even the most staunch critics of HS2 must be able to see this as well.
The upgrade is just one of hundreds we’re delivering as part of our Network North plan, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding – delivering further upgrades on this vital line, including electrification, to cut journey times and improve capacity.
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Spending a lot of money to facilitate tunneling to Euston without knowing if it'll reach Euston 😬. Sunak is bonkers.
Engineers at Old Oak Common say it’s “crucial” the line goes all the way to Euston. Building has been paused at Euston, talks ongoing over private funding for the Euston tunnel & station. Today a Euston supply tunnel was finished …
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Labour could revive HS2 northern legs after government fails to sell off land
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⚠️ Latest video⚠️ which is the final part of the
#HS2
"What, Where Why?" mini series and this episode is simply called "Why HS2" and will hopefully explain why it is we need to build a new railway line. Featuring
@GarethDennis
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Look at the current Avanti calling pattern, Can't believe Nuneaton isn't served at all, and Rugby and Stafford's single stop per hour is poor. This is why we need HS2. MK will benefit too.
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New map shows how East West Rail would connect Cambridge to other UK cities
This shows the real transformational benefit of EWR.
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What a tiresome day trying to explain some basic construction realities to people. I remember now why I gave up trying to talk to HS2 opponents. These days I just have to hit mute for the sake of my mental health.
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Companies working on HS2 have been innovating to increase efficiency, bring down costs & reduce local impacts, it'd be a shame if we lost the skills and knowledge as construction on phase 1 winds down with no other large projects in the UK for companies and workers to move on to.
A partnership between the HS2 project and construction equipment supplier Finning to streamline earthmoving work has begun yielding multi-million-pound savings 🤩. Find out more:
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And Sunak is further ensuring any future extensions to HS2 cannot happen. Mostly just as a London focused land grab.
The number of HS2 platforms at Euston was going to be 11, most recently 10, but will now be just 6 (ensuring phase 2 can never be built)
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YouTube channel appeared from nowhere using AI generated VO has been posting requests to use people's content stating 'no reply = permission' worth keeping an eye on to make sure they're not using your clips without permission.
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'But flying is ALWAYS cheaper than the train'. I know there are some expensive rail fares, but could you imagine if rail operators jacked prices up like this overnight?
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Looking at all the ruined grass verges near to where I live I'm starting to think mounting the pavement should be prosecuted as criminal damage. Seems people are buying SUVs just so they can park anywhere they like
Windsor Road, W5.
It's perfectly fine, to destroy the pavement and block a cycle path.
Why? Because Ealing council tax payers will pay for the repair to the pavement and cyclists can just ride around the car.
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Last-minute deal saves Britain’s biggest train factory from closure
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Cancelling HS2 today would save precisely £0, a) because that's not how CapEx works and b) because it'd take years to wind down sites across the country. Half built bridges left dangling and TBMs half buried. To claim cancelling
#HS2
would help the economy now is absurd.
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Transport for Wales rail fares to rise by 4.9%
Renationalise the railways!! Oh wait 👀
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Nothing but a vindictive act on the part of
@RishiSunak
to make it more difficult for future governments to undo his mistakes. Safeguarding has nothing to do with delivering "Network North" and
@Mark_J_Harper
knows it.
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Got to love anti HS2 hypocrisy, go on constantly about how HS2 is all about speed, then throw their weight behind the 140mph ECML proposal, no thought given to how it would trash ECML capacity without significant investment.
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@LouHaigh
@iansderbyshire
So when
@Keir_Starmer
said emphatically
#HS2
won't go to Manchester, did he just mean you'll revive Phase 2, but with a different name? You can't provide capacity and transformational Birmingham - Manchester journey benefits without building infrastructure in Manchester.
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Each 40ft box is equivalent to 1 HGV not on UK roads, which is always good!
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It's almost like we should be building some sort of Y shaped mainline from London to the North, with a new mainline across the Pennines 🤔
Apropos of nothing, here are two maps showing where Britain's high speed rail network should be... Not for the high speed trains, but for the capacity they'd release on heavily congested existing railway lines.
#whyHS2
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This is getting utterly ridiculous now. A Green Party member calling an electric railway obsolete?! Luckily not all Greens oppose public transport, but I'd say there urgently needs a change in leadership and direction if the Green Party is to be taken seriously
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8 years ago, such an optimistic time for the railways. I imagine what ever the Government has planned in its long awaited report will actually be less ambitious that what it had planned for CP5.
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Will a home be found for cl175s in 2024, or could this be the year they're sent for scrap? 😥
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Is it even worth reading?
We’ve set out a clear plan for the future of our railways, publishing our draft Rail Reform Bill.
The Bill will create Great British Railways, using private sector innovation to help modernise our railways and deliver a better service for customers.
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Next stretch of East West Rail line approved in Budget
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