I am all for investment in the North. But HS2 isn't investing in the North. It is investing in London because the rationale is about improving the transport links with London. Whether you buy the argument about it being 10 minutes faster or whether you buy the argument about increasing capacity. It amounts to the same thing. Investment in the transport links to London. If we were going to spend all that money improving infrastructure in the North I would much rather it was spent improving the rail links between northern towns and cities. It is frankly ridiculous that it doesn't take much longer to get to London on the train than it does to get to Manchester and it us quicker to drive to Manchester than it is to take the train. How about investment in that.
I stand corrected about the origins of HS2. I thought it was more recent. As others have stated, HS2 does not give any benefits to S Yorks. It doesn't even stop in Sheffield on the current route and goes through the middle of a housing estate in Mexborough that isn't even finished yet (and the residents on help to buy (or whatever its called) will not get enough compensation to buy a replacement house). IIRC it goes very close to at least two nature reserves too.
Completely agree, I have never seen or heard any logical argument for HS2 which makes more sense than spending the same amount of money improving the existing rail network - FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
Sorry mate, as much as I oppose HS2, the thought of even going to the Express website (or The Sun or The Mail for that matter) turns my stomach.
I understand that...but it's for the greater good , making the comment is not supporting the Tories or the DE , from our perspective it's showing solidarity with a South Yorkshire town under the threat of mass destruction of its newest housing stock and the potential to take millions over the years out of the local economy . Higgins said to parliament in 2014 , 630 homes were threatened nationwide , Mexborough alone has nearly 300 in what they ironically call the ' safeguarding zone ' . Safeguarding means you are stuck in a house that they can compulsory purchase at a fraction of the rate they will pay in for instance the Chilterns . Because house prices are so depressed , residents will not even have the cash to buy an equivalent property elsewhere...even if they did agree to 'equivalence' rather than market value the compensation factor would give the Chiltern resident full market value plus 10%....an average £30 -40 k more . I have written to Higgins on several occasions to ask him to clarify the numbers of demolitions , the b****** has never replied .
Huge amount of money to spend on getting to London slightly faster. By the time it's been built no-one will want to go to London anyway it will be like Islamabad. Spend the money on improving the existing lines instead.
Is it going to be built by British companies with British labour using British steel and other British products. Creating jobs and boosting production for U.K. Companies up and down the country. If so then it may just be worth it. But I very much doubt it is.
Can't say I believe that HS2 is a good idea though I would be concerned with how much money has already been spent and is already contractual spent. Transport is such a mess. Need someone with the strength to come out and say that we need an integrated transport policy and a nationalised trail network to underpin it. Leaving the EU gives an ideal opportunity to take the rail network back into public ownership.
Can't believe how many small minded nimbies there are in this part of the world and how they want to selfishly ruin the prospects for generations of our children to come. A project which could be the best thing to happen to the Dearne Valley in hundreds of years and a few narrow minded maungy folk want to cry like girls about it and spoil it for everyone else. So what if a few terrible rabbit hutch houses get torn down. Those faceless boring stepford wives type houses won't be missed. And if you think it would be different if it were my house under threat you couldn't be more wrong. My village is on an old railway line - one of the streets is called "The Sidings" - When I first heard the news the joy that Barnsley would finally get some proper investment it was in full knowledge that our village could be dramatically affected - indeed cut in half - by this line - but still I felt real joy and positivity about the prospects for the areas children. 15 years of Blairite labour and nothing gets done to undo the damage done by Thatcher - and it pains my greatly that it takes a Tory government to deliver the one piece of infrastructure that might have the first real positive impact on our local economy for decades. You can put as much money into the rest of the rail network as you want - but that does **** all for Barnsley and the Dearne Valley. The one thing that might change that is HS2 Whilst I accept the arguments that there are better routes, better things to spend the money on, etc etc etc. the Dearne Valley should exploit these mistakes and embrace HS2. This thing is going to be built and our local politicians should fight tooth and nail to delivery the major boost for the local economy this promises - a Dearne Valley station means kids all over the region might have a future right here instead of moving away to get decent jobs. THIS STATION HAS TO BE DELIVERED BY STEVE HOUGHTON OR HE SHOULD BE SHOT! Show me a petition saying the people of Mexborough should get fair value for their houses and I'll sign it. Show me a petition saying HS2 should only be built with a Dearne Valley station and I'll sign it. Show me a petition saying the line should come through my living room instead of yours and I'll sign it But for the good of the Dearne Valley the line must come. The people of the Dearne Valley cannot moan and whinge and whine for 33 years that Thatcher destroyed our industry - and then bleat like little girls when the Government do the one thing that might go some way to reversing that Bitch Thatchers legacy. Cos if they do - and it's because of self interest of a few grand in compensation - then they're worst than Thatcher. She destroyed the area and didn't give a monkeys about the people. Selfish locals who wish to continue her legacy for the next generation because of a few grand out of their own pockets - well I simply shake my head at them and hope god has mercy on their souls.
Isn't this just a case of a political party polling the public for manifesto ideas? But.. But.. Adding an extra stop in the Dearne Valley will add 5 minutes onto the journey time and then make it £xx billions to get to London in the same time as it currently takes from Doncaster!
It's a fair point Carly, but they're not gonna build a stop in S.Yorks. They'll level a chunk of it so you can do Leeds-London faster, but that's about it. Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
If HS2 followed the route from Sheffield to Leeds through Manvers/Darfield/Cudworth that used to be a railway line with a station at Manvers or Cudworth I'd agree - but Dearne Valley residents will just watch a fast train go past Sent from the darkest recesses of a poisoned mind.