This isn't a new idea. People have been banging on about rebuilding the Great Central Railway, as if it's a viable alternative to HS2, for about 10 years.
It's not. And the whole idea is disingenuous for a whole bunch of reasons. /1
It's not. And the whole idea is disingenuous for a whole bunch of reasons. /1
Let's start with the obvious one:
It's 👏 not 👏 the 👏 same 👏 route.
No Leeds or Birmingham which is, ya know, kinda a big deal.
It's like giving a kid a Gobot and saying "here's your new transformer" (showing my age here. 😁 )
It's 👏 not 👏 the 👏 same 👏 route.
No Leeds or Birmingham which is, ya know, kinda a big deal.
It's like giving a kid a Gobot and saying "here's your new transformer" (showing my age here. 😁 )
Next, talk of the route still being "available" are just... well... wrong.
Lord save us from old white dudes with crayons and Google maps. They like to brush over minor inconveniences such as that you'd have to tunnel under most of Nottingham or Leicester.
Have fun with that.
Lord save us from old white dudes with crayons and Google maps. They like to brush over minor inconveniences such as that you'd have to tunnel under most of Nottingham or Leicester.
Have fun with that.
And when I say tunnel under, in those locations (and more) what I REALLY mean is "build giant new stations in places that don't have them now". Which isn't cheap and is ENORMOUSLY disruptive.
Seriously. So MANY issues with the route. @RAIL or @GarethDennis could tell you more.
Seriously. So MANY issues with the route. @RAIL or @GarethDennis could tell you more.
Oh, also, a bunch of kettle jockeys like to run steam trains over a chunk of what's left of the GCR. I think there's 3 (?) heritage lines that use bits of it?
You think rural NIMBYs get annoyed about hedge loss? Watch what happens when you take their kids' santa specials away
You think rural NIMBYs get annoyed about hedge loss? Watch what happens when you take their kids' santa specials away
We also still use a chunk of it down south to get around. It's Chiltern (Aylesbury - Marylebone). Even ignoring the disruption of a rebuild, if you think that Marylebone is in any fit state to suddenly start taking High Speed Trains then well... you're either high or on speed.
"Oh but all these things can be mitigated!" the Crayonistas will say.
Then they'll talk about extra new lines elsewhere, moving the odd station or heritage line, double-tracking some stuff etc. etc.
But you know what? Even where it's possible, all of that stuff adds up.
Then they'll talk about extra new lines elsewhere, moving the odd station or heritage line, double-tracking some stuff etc. etc.
But you know what? Even where it's possible, all of that stuff adds up.
And that's also where, when you dig into it, that you ALWAYS find these plans include some line like this: 
Which just highlights that the proponents either don't understand, or are wilfully ignorant of, how much WORK it is to build a modern railway.
You're not just putting a bunch of rails down and then phoning up George Stevenson and asking him for an Engine.
You're not just putting a bunch of rails down and then phoning up George Stevenson and asking him for an Engine.
They still think you build a railway by importing a bunch of Scots/Irish, paying them bugger all and hoping that they finish laying it before they all die in construction accidents or say "fuck this for a life" and melt away to start pubs in Camden.
So IN REALITY what would you get at the end, if you went with GCR?
You'd get a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT railway to HS2, that cost probably as much, and then you'd STILL have to build a version of HS2 to relieve the WCML anyway.
You'd get a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT railway to HS2, that cost probably as much, and then you'd STILL have to build a version of HS2 to relieve the WCML anyway.
And this is the problem with SO MANY 'alternate plans' to HS2.
They're just repackaged versions of something some rando Crayonistas have been infrawanking over as their own pet scheme for years. They've just seen a new opportunity to splurge it out and shoehorn it into the convo
They're just repackaged versions of something some rando Crayonistas have been infrawanking over as their own pet scheme for years. They've just seen a new opportunity to splurge it out and shoehorn it into the convo
GCR like a bunch of other stuff ISN'T a HS2 alternative. It doesn't achieve many of the major goals. It's like seeing someone suffering from scurvy and saying to them:
"Well I could give you an orange, but have this really cool apple I like instead it's got a bit of Vit C in it"
"Well I could give you an orange, but have this really cool apple I like instead it's got a bit of Vit C in it"
GOOD CITIZENS!
Don't fall for any of this nonsense. If you are ever approached by 'railway expert' who comes bearing crayons, talks about 'reopening Beeching' or says that we've forgotten how to build things cheaply, then just throw a copy of Bradshaws at them and run away. /end
Don't fall for any of this nonsense. If you are ever approached by 'railway expert' who comes bearing crayons, talks about 'reopening Beeching' or says that we've forgotten how to build things cheaply, then just throw a copy of Bradshaws at them and run away. /end
ADDENDUM:
I should add that I'm not particularly pro-HS2. I think it's been very badly planned so far, and if we were starting from scratch 10 years ago we'd maybe end up with something different.
But FUCK ME do the anti-HS2 mob make me want to build it out of spite now. 😂
I should add that I'm not particularly pro-HS2. I think it's been very badly planned so far, and if we were starting from scratch 10 years ago we'd maybe end up with something different.
But FUCK ME do the anti-HS2 mob make me want to build it out of spite now. 😂
