Sunak kills the Northern Powerhouse.

GrannyGravy13

Why can’t freight trains run during the night, when there are few if any passenger trains?

Line maintenance work is done during the night because it isn’t safe to do so in the daytime. If it is done in the day it’s very disruptive eg the train from London to Edinburgh had to stop at Newcastle for several weekends and shuttle buses had to be used.

MayBee70

GrannyGravy13

Why can’t freight trains run during the night, when there are few if any passenger trains?

Line maintenance work is done during the night because it isn’t safe to do so in the daytime. If it is done in the day it’s very disruptive eg the train from London to Edinburgh had to stop at Newcastle for several weekends and shuttle buses had to be used.

I know maintenance is mainly carried out at night, but surely not on every line every night.

With some planning freight traffic should be able to move around the country during off peak times and nights.

I haven't a clue about the logistics of running a train freight service, but wouldn't that mean that the trains would be idle for half the day? Some freight trains do run during the night now. It would also mean that journey times would have to fit in conveniently to certain slots - and presumably the drivers and loaders (or whatever they're called) would have to be paid anti-social rates.

I used to live a couple of hundred metres away from a main rail line and I knew that there would be two freight trains a night - and I just had to put up with them. I must admit I wouldn't be very happy about the constant rumbling and house shaking of freight trains running all night.

DAR front page of the DT bought on the way to the dentist….it quite cheered me up…..

I did not realise that those whose land was compulsory purchased will have to pay capital gains on the purchase.

ronib

DAR front page of the DT bought on the way to the dentist….it quite cheered me up…..

I'm not terribly sure that I would believe the DT.

What he actually said: "I can't stand here and give a commitment to reversing that decision. They have taken a wrecking ball to it," Starmer told reporters when asked what Labour would do.

'Can't commit' is not the same as 'won't'.

westendgirl

I did not realise that those whose land was compulsory purchased will have to pay capital gains on the purchase.

What? 😲

MaizieD

ronib

DAR front page of the DT bought on the way to the dentist….it quite cheered me up…..

I'm not terribly sure that I would believe the DT.

What he actually said: "I can't stand here and give a commitment to reversing that decision. They have taken a wrecking ball to it," Starmer told reporters when asked what Labour would do.

'Can't commit' is not the same as 'won't'.

Oh, I misread your original post. Scrap the above...

westendgirl

It was said that people who lost land would be given the first chance to buy it back. Wonder if the price will have escalated hugely.
Now Euston will only be used for HS2 if there is private investment to pay for it and he calls Starmer Captain Flip Flop!

Even if this happened, and they accepted, they’d have to pay capital gains tax on the money they’ve received.

Are companies that had contracts for work on the line, who have employed staff and bought in plant and materials to fulfil the contract, going to be compensated?

This is actually taking money out of the economy.

Will Sunak's back of a fag packet Network North plan actually be effected? He's only got a year left...

MaizieD

ronib

DAR front page of the DT bought on the way to the dentist….it quite cheered me up…..

I'm not terribly sure that I would believe the DT.

What he actually said: "I can't stand here and give a commitment to reversing that decision. They have taken a wrecking ball to it," Starmer told reporters when asked what Labour would do.

'Can't commit' is not the same as 'won't'.

I had a feeling it might have been an "interpretation" of what he said, Maizie. He will, at the very least I would have thought, want to talk to the various Combined Council Mayors.

How Sunak can do this without any mandate from anyone is beyond me. I hope someone has been set to plough through the law books to see if there is anything he can be picked up on.

Grantanow

The outrageous costs of HS2 arose from setting to high a speed requirement which required very straight track and too many tunnels to avoid upsetting Tory voters in the shires. £394m/mile for HS2 compared with about £40m/mile for the latest French TGV track.

It's the Tory voters in the shires who were turfed out of their homes to allow a 20 min reduction in getting to London from Birmingham, ancient woodlands destroyed, family homes destroyed, bet yours wasn't one, or you wouldn't be clapping would you.

There needs to be a public enquiry into why the project has gone so far over budget. I thought the Conservative Party were supposed to be good with money?

It's a myth peddled by their client media MayBee. One day eyes will be opened.

Back in 2015 Keir Starmer opposed the building of HS2. End of story.

growstuff

I haven't a clue about the logistics of running a train freight service, but wouldn't that mean that the trains would be idle for half the day? Some freight trains do run during the night now. It would also mean that journey times would have to fit in conveniently to certain slots - and presumably the drivers and loaders (or whatever they're called) would have to be paid anti-social rates.

I used to live a couple of hundred metres away from a main rail line and I knew that there would be two freight trains a night - and I just had to put up with them. I must admit I wouldn't be very happy about the constant rumbling and house shaking of freight trains running all night.

When we’re at the level crossing we know when a freight train is coming because the lights are red for ages and ages. I do like to see them, though, because I know it means less lorries on the road. There seem to be a lot of Tescos ones. I used to love seeing the freight trains when we were in America. They seemed to be miles long ( and probably were).

Sunak indicated in his speech that they would be looking into mismanagement of the project, so it isn’t by any means a given that everyone who has been working on it will be compensated.

As regards offering properties back to the original owners before selling on the open market, it has been the law for many years that this must be done where a property was bought by, or under threat of, compulsory purchase.

westendgirl, capital gains tax is only paid on a disposal, not a purchase. If disposals of property for the purpose of HS2 triggered CGT then it would be payable, however CGT is not payable on disposal of your principal private residence.

The money needs to be spent up North, the real North. The A1 desperately needs to be dualled. Imagine driving on the main road to Scotland on a single carriageway with huge lorries flying past in the opposite
direction with only inches to spare, worse in bad visibility. It's scary, there are hundreds of deaths on this road.
Hs2 was simply to get soft southern wimps to work quicker and was considered more important

Soft southern wimps?

Germanshepherdsmum

Soft southern wimps?

Eeh bah gum, they breed 'em tough up North.
It's the weather.

Or summat in’t water.

Ethelwashere1

The money needs to be spent up North, the real North. The A1 desperately needs to be dualled. Imagine driving on the main road to Scotland on a single carriageway with huge lorries flying past in the opposite
direction with only inches to spare, worse in bad visibility. It's scary, there are hundreds of deaths on this road.
Hs2 was simply to get soft southern wimps to work quicker and was considered more important

If HS2 were going ahead perhaps some of the stuff that the huge lorries are carrying could have gone by rail, instead. It was nothing to do with shorter journeys, it was to provide extra capacity.

However, it is absolutely ridiculous that the only 'promised' upgrade to the AI north of Newcastle is a pathetic 23 miles north of Morpeth. It's 107 miles from Morpeth to Edinburgh. What difference is 23 miles going to make?

I've been regularly using the A1 from Yorkshire, and then Durham, to Essex for the past 50 years. It has been a constant scene of upgrading roadworks for a good 40 of them. Yet it all stops at Newcastle (currently being changed from 2 to 3 lane carriageways). I don't understand the thinking behind this neglect of a major transport route.

MaizieD

Ethelwashere1

The money needs to be spent up North, the real North. The A1 desperately needs to be dualled. Imagine driving on the main road to Scotland on a single carriageway with huge lorries flying past in the opposite
direction with only inches to spare, worse in bad visibility. It's scary, there are hundreds of deaths on this road.
Hs2 was simply to get soft southern wimps to work quicker and was considered more important

If HS2 were going ahead perhaps some of the stuff that the huge lorries are carrying could have gone by rail, instead. It was nothing to do with shorter journeys, it was to provide extra capacity.

However, it is absolutely ridiculous that the only 'promised' upgrade to the AI north of Newcastle is a pathetic 23 miles north of Morpeth. It's 107 miles from Morpeth to Edinburgh. What difference is 23 miles going to make?

I've been regularly using the A1 from Yorkshire, and then Durham, to Essex for the past 50 years. It has been a constant scene of upgrading roadworks for a good 40 of them. Yet it all stops at Newcastle (currently being changed from 2 to 3 lane carriageways). I don't understand the thinking behind this neglect of a major transport route.

It's to stop the Scots from having a decent road to invade us by. We've always known they can't be trusted!

As for the southern wimps, I've noticed many of them migrating here and settling on the NE coast. Just as well there's no HS2 it would only encourage more

Glorianny

MaizieD

Ethelwashere1

The money needs to be spent up North, the real North. The A1 desperately needs to be dualled. Imagine driving on the main road to Scotland on a single carriageway with huge lorries flying past in the opposite
direction with only inches to spare, worse in bad visibility. It's scary, there are hundreds of deaths on this road.
Hs2 was simply to get soft southern wimps to work quicker and was considered more important

If HS2 were going ahead perhaps some of the stuff that the huge lorries are carrying could have gone by rail, instead. It was nothing to do with shorter journeys, it was to provide extra capacity.

However, it is absolutely ridiculous that the only 'promised' upgrade to the AI north of Newcastle is a pathetic 23 miles north of Morpeth. It's 107 miles from Morpeth to Edinburgh. What difference is 23 miles going to make?

I've been regularly using the A1 from Yorkshire, and then Durham, to Essex for the past 50 years. It has been a constant scene of upgrading roadworks for a good 40 of them. Yet it all stops at Newcastle (currently being changed from 2 to 3 lane carriageways). I don't understand the thinking behind this neglect of a major transport route.

It's to stop the Scots from having a decent road to invade us by. We've always known they can't be trusted!

As for the southern wimps, I've noticed many of them migrating here and settling on the NE coast. Just as well there's no HS2 it would only encourage more

😂😂😂

Even though I'm a 'southern wimp' myself I do agree with your second point...

Ironically, at this moment in time I wouldn't mind at all being invaded by the Scots..

Ironically, at this moment in time I wouldn't mind at all being invaded by the Scots.
Yes but this government wouldn't like it! And I suspect that even if the next one is Labour they wouldn't be quite so keen on the idea!!!