Rail electrification is good news, cascaded diesel rolling stock of 125 mph capability from Midand and Fgreat western, nice! A few plug doors a la chiltern and they could make Northern Scotland and Wales services better.

Further the shuttle rolling stock for services to the SWest / Cornwall and from Swansea to Pembrokeshire and possibly Lampeter or in teh future for a reinstated and improved 'Offas Dyke' service should help the borders.

Also if more Pendolinos are vbought for teh East Coast as a proven design that works on teh West Coast, cascaded 125s can go elsewhere such as Anglia or Mid Wales services.

Nice day all round railwise.

the problems with the inner london HS2 route

1) Its only single track in parts, could the tunnel be dual track to allow for future up gade or use by Overground services if in the future another route / Thameslink upgrade is used.

2) The direct route at Northolt / South Ruislip for a Heathrow spur will need a new waste transfer station built in South Harefield Ickenham first in order to ensure that there are no 'winter of discontent' scenes in west and North west london, is that allowed under section 106 planning in terms of future planning payments?

3) There is no provision as of yet for section 106 planning payments for a partial divert of the Central Line to Uxbridge and onto Heathrow at Ruislip Gardens using a remodelled Rusilip Gradens Depot track configuration and trains in tunnel after Ickenham to platforms under a park and ride orbital car park at hIllingdon station and then ontop Hayes End and Stockley Park, WEst Drayton and Heathrow.

4) Other rail links that could also help with this are St Albans tram train, Croxley Rail Link and a service from Chingford to Stratord regional station after the Olympics. All of which would deliver rail services from commuter suburbs to okaces of employment as they are opened rather than later on, which stabilises the economy and allows for sustainable economic growth.

Alternatives to HS2 stage 1

Reopening the Aylesbury Rugby Line for freight and dual tracking teh High Wycombe- Aylesbury line for freight and passenger trains, with gauge wide enough for subsequent upgrade to High Speed.

Similar fast passenger lines from Glasgow/Edinburgh in High Speed to Birmingham so that they meet half way

The problem with a scheme such as these two as they would take up an ever increasing and constant share of UK GDP for years longer than one High speed line built in stages with branches to Mid Wales and services to Holyhead and The East Coast ports for freight / produce.

If all of these are rejected then the danget is that instead a Toll Motorway is built on High Speed 2s route which is even more disruptive and will create a two speed manufacturing and industrial economy in Britain and hamper Irish economic growth.

Mayor Of London queries route of HS2 on radio.

The Mayor of London has queried the HS2 stage 1 route saying that more of it should be in tunnel and that Euston could suiffer too much disruption if it is built as a stand alone terminus.

If thats the case could the other parts of the route from Glasgow and Edinburgh to the West Midlands be built first so that their is a more recent rail freight relief and use for frieght ports on the East Coast. However the West Caost Main Line from Rigby is already at capacity on its way south to Euston.

The public consultation is ongoing until July 29th.

is the HS2 heathrow spur the right route?

One problem with the current HS2 design is that the later stage Heathrow spur may have to cross asbestos deposits f those fields with it near Yiewsley reach further west than the ones already exploited in Cowley for the building of post war prefab housing and some forms of brick mortar before that. As such it is a construction challenge and one for the engineeers.

If A stock is unfeasible for HS2 building relief work

If the A stock is unadaptable to 3 rail current collection. then either teh 4 rail format could be put back to Watford Junction and South Hampstead from its Harrow and Wealdstone- Kilburn High Road limits or the outgoing Circle Line C stock or District Line D Stock could run in 4 carriage format. The D stock is the most recent and therefore its with longer carriages might have sapce for current shoes and wheel adaptation. Plus its been driven on one of the most multicultural staffed tube lines, including many Irish, as was noted by the last London Mayor.

It could therefore be a way in tough economic times and as an act of reconciliation between the islands for HS2 construction to occur with minimum disruption which would aid regional regeneration and manufacturing in South Wales, Scotland and Northern England. The choice of which trains to recycle like this is in the hands of teh TfL board chaired by the present Mayor of London.

If i were writing the 2012 GLA manifesto for anybody, this would be it

Transport manifesto for the GLA and London Mayorality 2012

1) Continue with the building of Crossrail with extra branches to Tring and St Albans Thameslink via links from Old Oak Common Interchange station for HS2 (building to begin of that sooner than 2018 opening of Crossrail so as to minimise disruption to Great Western Line and allow for better services when Euston is rebuilt for HS2.
2) Also build Croxley Rail Link if Dft and Transport and Works Approved after public consultation.
3) Prepare Airtrack construction and consultation with Transport and Works Act and depot in Feltham
4) Diesel Tram train or Class 172 Diesel train service West Ealing to Greenford, with possible extension to new platform at West Ruislip via Central line during peak hours, with future extension via Chiltern line to Gerrards cross and south Harefield station as section 106 for High Speed Two.
5) Support the rest of the Network Rail SE Rail study and Greengague 21 proposals for HS2 (particulary rail service to Derby and Sheffield on High Speed 2 and link line in West Midlands to Birmingham-Derby line.
6) Possible use of Metropolitan Line A Stock on Watford Junction- South Hampstead to augment LO rolling stock and allow some of it to be used on Barking- Gospel Oak electrified service to run on to Stonebridge Park and be stabled there.
7) Balham loop for London Overground to use some more rolling stock.
8) Chingford- Stratford service for London Overground after the Olympics to allow commuting to the new office blocks from day 1.
9) Adapt HST slam door carriages to driver operated automatic doors as on similar Irish, Australian, New Zealand and Chiltern Railway rolling stock.