In reply to a post by Fastman3:

same as HS1 as you live near sevenoaks your are a side beneficialry of HS1 more cmmuter trains, more seats

The presence of HS1 makes no difference to anyone commuting from Sevenoaks to London.

The problem with HS2 is that it has a significant adverse environmental impact. The problem of route capacity could gave been addressed by using double decker trains as on the Swiss railways.

In reply to a post by Michael_Chare:

The problem of route capacity could gave been addressed by using double decker trains as on the Swiss railways.

Could this be achieved without modifying tunnels?

In reply to a post by Fastman3:

the 5Bn will be spent but you dont get a lot of FTTP for 5BN

Will it though?

£5 Billion to get 100% full fibre coverage quickly charged to 100% gigabit coverage.
That's now changed to 85% gigabit coverage.

Only £1.2 Billion of the pledged £5 Billion will be spent in this parliament under current plans.

In reply to a post by dect:

In reply to a post by Michael_Chare:

The problem of route capacity could gave been addressed by using double decker trains as on the Swiss railways.

Could this be achieved without modifying tunnels?

Absolutely correct. The UK uses a far smaller profile than any of the European railways (one of the pitfalls of being the first to use a particular technology). Not long after the Second World War there was a trial of double-decker trains from Kent into London using the existing loading gauge. The trains did not last long as they were so cramped that the customers did not like them. As we have got bigger since then that problem would be even worse now.

In reply to a post by broadband66:

Surely most freight travels at less busy times, especially at night so is of little importance to passenger trains?

Afraid not. The night time is when the railway blocks the lines to do routine maintenance as there as so many passenger trains during the day. Lots of the lines are still open but you can't build a reliable overnight network (which is required by a lot of the time-critical freight the railway carries as part of Just-in-Time pipelines). There is freight moving at night but there would be the opportunity for a lot more if the maintenance didn't have to be carried out then at the behest of the passenger railway. If you have to put the stuff on road for one week a month or whatever, then you do it for four weeks a month so that you don't have capital equipment lying unused for 75% of the time.

But there is no reason why they did not consider using double deck trains on HS2. There are many failings on HS2 planning, scheduling and roll out wit a total lack of "joined up thinking".

The now scrapped direct link to LHR - another failing. That would have helped alleviate the need for the third runway.

HS" is nothing to do with arriving in an office 30 mins earlier -- its a bout removal and capacity enhance to enable major modal shift from m6 and m1 corridors enhancinig green agenda and reducing massive carbon emission - this is why Phase 2a and Phase 1 will be built together -- which means HS2 will run between london and Crewe once its opens between 2029/2032

broadbad freight tracvels 24 hours a day , there are no daytime spare freigh paths between london and midlands , for every hour there are 2 spare minutes , onces HS2 that goes up to about 30 - 35m as you are currently running trains between 50 - 125 miles an hour onces HS2 built you are running trains between 50 - 100 miles an hours thus increasing many more paths every hour -

Michael chare it does because if ther was no HS1 everything would be routed through sevenoaks . more trains in same track , less seats , more delay - like it was before 2003 when HS1 opened

I am not sure what you are suggesting. The presence of the Eurotunnel trains did not have an adverse impact on the South East rail services. If they had there would have been many complaints.