HS2

[Ron Ron Ron]

 

 

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

 

 

 

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[jamie92208]

The tunnelling figures for all 3 machines were released today. Sushiia is still going slowly at 218 metres only 32 in 9 days.  Cecelia and Florence are both on about 20 metres per day.  Florence us just over 46% at7474 out of 16000. At the rate they are going they will be at their halfway by Christmas. Perhaps they arecon a promise if a good bonus. Whatever their motivation thry are going regularly at well over the expected rate of 15m per day.

 

Jamie

[Ron Ron Ron]

4 TBMs !

You missed Caroline, which has only achieved 27 metres, in 30 days.

 

Caroline is on the HS2 Ltd interactive map, currently hidden underneath Sushila, unless you zoom in.

 

n.b.  At West Ruislip the tunnels are very shallow for the first couple of hundred metres or so, so initial progress is expected to be very slow and cautious.

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

5 TBMs....

 

At Long Itchington, reassembly and preparation of TBM Dorothy for its 2nd drive, has already been completed.

Today (24th Nov), Dorothy has re-launched and set off on the 2nd bore.

 

https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/hs2-celebrates-launch-of-tbm-for-second-tunnel-bore-under-long-itchington-wood-in-warks

 

https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2022/11/24/rebuilt-tbm-launches-into-second-hs2-tunnel-drive/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by Ron Ron Ron

[Ron Ron Ron]

Meanwhile, at Old Oak Common......

 

 

 

Plus, piling work for the GWML part of the OOC station, is supposed to have commenced.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

The Chilterns Tunnels North Portal.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

 

 

 

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[JeffP]

As a percentage, how much of this line will be underground?

[Ron Ron Ron]

On 25/11/2022 at 09:02, JeffP said:

As a percentage, how much of this line will be underground?

Phase One = 140 miles ‘ish

Bored tunnels = HS2 Ltd confusingly state 64 miles  for Phase 1 & 2a - mostly on Phase 1.

 

Plus cut and cover (green) tunnels, cuttings and earth bank screening etc.

 

Also according to the HS2 Ltd website, there are 32 miles of tunnels on Phase One.

They then list 27.4 miles of twin bored tunnels consisting of……

Euston tunnels (Euston to OOC) = 4.5 miles

Northolt tunnels (OOC to West Ruislip) = 8.4 miles

Chilterns tunnels = 10 miles

Long Itchington Wood tunnels = 1 mile

Bromford tunnels = 3.5 miles

 

There are then 5 “green tunnels” on Phase One

Copthall in Hillingdon

Wendover in Buckinghamshire

Chipping Warden and Greatworth, both in Northamptonshire, and

Burton Green in the West Midlands.

 

 

 

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Edited November 26, 2022 by Ron Ron Ron

[Grovenor]

Maybe the 64 is single track miles?

[JeffP]

Whilst I'm always up for new trains, that won't be an experience I'll be keen to have.

[The Stationmaster]

Going past several works sites over the past few days the thing which struck me was how unobtrusive some of the work is and how unobtrusive the line will be when it has opened.  The Birmingham terminus site is a revelation having not travelled into Brum by train from the Coventry direction for quite a while the recent  building development alongside the station site towers over everything yet presumably not even a murmur about it or its uninspiring 'architecture'.

[Fat Controller]

On 25/11/2022 at 10:34, Ron Ron Ron said:

Phase One = 140 miles ‘ish

Bored tunnels = HS2 Ltd confusingly state 64 miles  for Phase 1 & 2a - mostly on Phase 1.

 

Plus cut and cover (green) tunnels, cuttings and earth bank screening etc.

 

Also according to the HS2 Ltd website, there are 32 miles of tunnels on Phase One.

They then list 27.4 miles of twin bored tunnels consisting of……

Euston tunnels (Euston to OOC) = 4.5 miles

Northolt tunnels (OOC to West Ruislip) = 8.4 miles

Chilterns tunnels = 10 miles

Long Itchington Wood tunnels = 1 mile

Bromford tunnels = 3.5 miles

 

There are then 5 “green tunnels” on Phase One

Copthall in Hillingdon

Wendover in Buckinghamshire

Chipping Warden and Greatworth, both in Northamptonshire, and

Burton Green in the West Midlands.

 

 

 

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It will be like travelling on Italian Railways: over 50% of the FS  is either in tunnel or on viaducts.

[Ian Hargrave]

15 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Going past several works sites over the past few days the thing which struck me was how unobtrusive some of the work is and how unobtrusive the line will be when it has opened.  The Birmingham terminus site is a revelation having not travelled into Brum by train from the Coventry direction for quite a while the recent  building development alongside the station site towers over everything yet presumably not even a murmur about it or its uninspiring 'architecture'.

Your observation is interesting Mike and yes it is noticeable that the work atm doesn’t seem to be causing too much disruption in this part of Middle England. There is much going on further along the M42 from the NEC in each direction which isn’t thankfully adding to its usual traffic congestion and if you travel into New Street from the Tamworth direction you will see quite a bit of construction work. Further north,work is apace across the WCML at Lichfield and I can’t now drive into the city directly off the A38 due to it and won’t be able to do so for several months.This adds a bit to my monthly Arts Soc. travel and does cause peak time road congestion on the “road to hell” . We’ll see how it progresses.Watch this space….

 

[Ian Hargrave]

On 26/11/2022 at 08:37, JeffP said:

Whilst I'm always up for new trains, that won't be an experience I'll be keen to have.

I’d love to live long enough to experience it. Fingers crossed.😇

[Solderpete]

I thought some of you may be interested to read the obituary published in Railnews recently about my brother, Mike Storey, who originally started this thread on RMweb.

[jamie92208]

12 minutes ago, Solderpete said:

I thought some of you may be interested to read the obituary published in Railnews recently about my brother, Mike Storey, who originally started this thread on RMweb.

Thanks very much for posting that Pete we better try to keep this thread on track in his memory.

Jamie

[rockershovel]

18 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Your observation is interesting Mike and yes it is noticeable that the work atm doesn’t seem to be causing too much disruption in this part of Middle England. There is much going on further along the M42 from the NEC in each direction which isn’t thankfully adding to its usual traffic congestion and if you travel into New Street from the Tamworth direction you will see quite a bit of construction work. Further north,work is apace across the WCML at Lichfield and I can’t now drive into the city directly off the A38 due to it and won’t be able to do so for several months.This adds a bit to my monthly Arts Soc. travel and does cause peak time road congestion on the “road to hell” . We’ll see how it progresses.Watch this space….

 

I encountered various works while travelling from Leamington to Peterborough in Oct. 

[woodenhead]

First journey through a completed tunnel:

 

[jamie92208]

I was looking at a Youtube video about theclatest butbof restoration on the Lichfirld and Hathersage canal.  This croses HS@'sxpath and HS@ are going to divert and restore the relevant sevtion of the csnsl and put a bridge in.  HS2 have also given a large grant to the csnal trust thatvischelping them restore one of the parts of the canal that will join up with the  section that HS2 are rebuilding.

 

This iscthe video. It's not the most riveting prouction but the HS2 plans do figure sonewhere in it.

 

Jamie

[RJS1977]

The Lichfield Canal already has an isolated aqueduct over the M6 toll road. Following the legal case that determined who was responsible for the cost of the aqueduct, the Government stipulated that never again would a road be built that blocked a canal restoration scheme without suitable mitigation (aqueduct or tunnel) being provided. Whilst HS2 clearly isn't a road, it appears that the same precedent is being followed.

 

(Which does make me wonder what the situation is regarding new roads that block railway restoration schemes...)

Edited December 5, 2022 by RJS1977

[martin_wynne]

Sorry if this video has been posted before, it's difficult to scroll back through over 200 pages.

 

 

 

 

My question is why these arguments hardly ever mention the effect of the construction itself on the economy? Thousands of workers with money in their pockets and spending it. Thousands of sub-contracting firms thriving. Thousands of young engineers gaining new skills. Thousands of problems solved with innovative ideas which can be used again elsewhere.

 

Opponents invariably refer to the cost as if the money disappears into a hole in the ground, never to be seen again. But a large proportion of it will end up going round and round in the economy for years to come. And a good proportion of that will end up back in the nation's coffers as tax.

 

We all know that most of the gain, enjoyment and satisfaction of a model railway comes from the planning and building of it, not from the finished layout. Does the same ever apply to the real thing?

 

Martin.

[62613]

4 hours ago, martin_wynne said:

Sorry if this video has been posted before, it's difficult to scroll back through over 200 pages.

 

 

 

 

My question is why these arguments hardly ever mention the effect of the construction itself on the economy? Thousands of workers with money in their pockets and spending it. Thousands of sub-contracting firms thriving. Thousands of young engineers gaining new skills. Thousands of problems solved with innovative ideas which can be used again elsewhere.

 

Opponents invariably refer to the cost as if the money disappears into a hole in the ground, never to be seen again. But a large proportion of it will end up going round and round in the economy for years to come. And a good proportion of that will end up back in the nation's coffers as tax.

 

We all know that most of the gain, enjoyment and satisfaction of a model railway comes from the planning and building of it, not from the finished layout. Does the same ever apply to the real thing?

 

Martin.

Infrastructure investment, especially in a recession, is one of the best ways of keeping an economy going. I seem to recall Mike Storey, a long way back, saying that HS2 is being built by a stand - alone government - backed  company (HS2 Limited), and that just like any other company, has powers to raise capital on the markets using bond issues. The only actual government involvement is in guaranteeing the loans taken out (if the company goes bust, the government pays the money). Isn't this similar to how the LNER financed its much - needed Woodhead and Shenfield elecrification schemes, how the Channel Tunnel was built, and so on? ISTR reading somewhere that BR had to find the money for the 1955 Modernisation Plan by going to the banks and borrowing at the commercial rates applying at the time. I'm fairly sure that "The Taxpayer" (all of us!) isn't paying.

 

If any of this is tosh, please feel free to shoot me down in flames! Martin's post is something that needed saying.

[62613]

10 hours ago, martin_wynne said:

Sorry if this video has been posted before, it's difficult to scroll back through over 200 pages.

 

 

 

 

 Opponents invariably refer to the cost as if the money disappears into a hole in the ground, never to be seen again. But a large proportion of it will end up going round and round in the economy for years to come. And a good proportion of that will end up back in the nation's coffers as tax.

 

Martin.

One of the tropes you get, along with "Only fat - cat businessmen will be able to afford the fares" and "It's destroying the countryside" is that "The government are putting money into their mates' back pockets". Does that include the "Mates" pouring the concrete and operating the machines, I wonder, or are they volunteers?

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by 62613
mis - keying