Thread by @SimonZev

So we start with the 1st line & hit the buffers as we hit the “reallocate funds fallacy”. This has been explained so many times. Cancelling #HS2 means no money for anything else. Funds raised for #HS2 can ONLY be spent on HS2 & these funds are borrowed against future use.

If there’s no HS2, there’s no funding for HS2 & no money. Also please explain how NR received an initial £48bn for CP6 back in 2019 if HS2 was “hoovering up funds”. As for value, as seen with existing lines, heavy capital costs are made back over the lengthy operational timespan

Remember that parts of today’s WCML are almost 200 years old. How many times has that paid for itself over & over & over again above its initial costs? Also, what’s with a #Green going with the austerity rhetoric?? We can’t afford not to decarbonise, at any cost, esp public spend

Public investment in rail infrastructure = investment in skills, jobs, tax revenues at a when govnt borrowing costs are peanuts. Do we even know what borrowing is? Most don’t. Read this: #TheDeficitMyth

https://twitter.com/doctorow/status/1260983731025620992

Next you claim Covid means we don’t need investment in long-distance travel. 1st of all, the LD sector had the largest growth pre-Covid whilst LSE commuting growth was stalling & annual season ticket numbers were falling. These leisure markets are a growth area & dominated by...

roads & dom air for travel to central belt/🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 This needs to be replaced by long distance rail which needs to be faster to compete. 2) Covid’s transformation of the economy/workplace/travel hasn’t even begun. Travel demand increased in tandem with lockdowns easing in the summer!

Covid definitely has NOT shown that all can WfH as only around 25% of U.K. workforce have jobs that can be done WfH. Ignoring this problematic as it ignores majority of workforce & is STEEPED IN PRIVILEGE ignoring plight of poorer working communities in vital & oft forgotten...

sectors that “office-based” workers take for granted/aren’t aware of. For more info on this point see below. The key point is that Covid has shown flexibility not the end of travel or office-work.

https://twitter.com/GarethDennis/status/1272900299993333760

Here 6 main areas of concern are listed. Now let’s go through them as we’ve debunked the pre-amble. 1) TAG is a horrid & limiting way of appraising infra as it doesn’t capture wider benefits by design. See here:

https://twitter.com/pedrojuk/status/1341398452849270785?s=21

You also claim the case for #HS2 isn’t clear. That’s only the case because the comms & narrative have been poor from the start. However, its purpose is abundantly clear. Increased rail capacity to allow modal shift. Options were throughout assessed as seen in these tweets:

https://twitter.com/pedrojuk/status/1248241154308673537

And so to Point 2. Read “The Blunders of our Govnts” to find out about wasteful projects. #HS2 is doing fairly well for a #Megaproject where cost estimations & pressures often conflate the actual & estimated costs. Next, is #HS2 destructive? ⬇️⬇️

Well, frankly no. Forestry & agriculture have had far more impact on our natural environment than #HS2 will impact without anywhere near the same ecological focus. Have you seen the works they’re doing on this on Phase 1? Watch this: #GreenCorridor Next,

https://twitter.com/greens4hs2/status/1257954099494076416

From @HS2ltd: 62 AWs directly impacted with majority of areas retained! And figures from @WoodlandTrust back this up as well, see here:

https://twitter.com/permanentrail/status/1174268126705410051?s=21

So 108 AWs destroyed is DEMONSTRABLY FALSE. Stop lying! 🛑 Furthermore,

https://twitter.com/hs2ltd/status/1268814901142749184

rail infra investment is rarely “wasted”. Major investments in Chiltern, WCML & @transcotland have aptly demonstrated by multiple factors. In fact, the WCML is only wasteful in that it was so popular & full we should’ve built #HS2 instead!! So 2 down, and it’s not gone well...

Point 3 that you directly quoted @GreenJJNews. Again, being misled by modelling that doesn’t account for wider benefits by design is not helpful & misses the point. HS2 will provide a dedicated line for fast, intercity services so that they don’t eat capacity on existing lines!

This released capacity is HUGE as these trains eat MOST capacity. Once fast services are off classic lines, timetables can be re-cast to allow MORE LOCAL/REGIONAL/FREIGHT trains to better utilise these lines. This is the best way to increase capacity & make a viable option for...

more to travel by rail vice road, esp outside the M25 (stop ignoring the rest of the country mostly served by the actual line)! CO2 per pax km on #HS2 will be lower than road & air & classic rail as it’s a) all electric & will be powered by an increasingly decarbonised grid.

https://twitter.com/pedrojuk/status/1341397814144851968

Govnt have even admitted they haven’t captured wider benefits, backing what we’ve said all along. You have to take into account wider benefits as transport & travel are systems linked to other systems! Now to point 4.

https://twitter.com/williambarter1/status/1341401721294229513

Which “rail pros”? Why no links/names/reports? I, for e.g. have already looked at the NEF report & de-bunked it. I did this in response to your colleague “hates trainspotters” @jon_bartley He never responded to my picking it apart? Will you? It’s here:

https://twitter.com/simonzev/status/1287283982539907072?s=21

Saying “upgrade existing lines” just shows a poor understanding of the rail network, how it works, how transport systems work & how much impact there would be to sensitive natural & urban environments. Stop opining sans evidence whilst plenty is provided for you!! Next, point 5..

Costs have been estimated at up to £88bn (see here:

https://twitter.com/simonzev/status/1269291616201777152?s=21

) It compares to other schemes thusly:

https://twitter.com/garethdennis/status/1170070086419460097?s=21

Your figure totals £137bn. Where is that number from? It’s not verified! Then you say we should upgrade our railway to standards in 🇦🇹 🇩🇪 & 🇨🇭

THESE ARE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BUILT/ARE SERVED BY TRAINS RUNNING ON LITERAL HIGH SPEED LINES JENNY! Is your argument we should have lines like Germany by not building lines like Germany (i.e. HSLs)?? Make that make sense! #HS2 #WhyHS2 #Facts #Debunking

I agree we should be electrifying & decarbonising our network but that works WITH #HS2 not against esp as they are separately funded! So by your own suggestions we should invest in upgrades that includes HSR, that kind of means #HS2... #ElectrifyAlltheLines #Electrification

Our network can’t cope & won’t cope with future demand (re: modal shift). See here: And we’ll need more #Rail #Capacity to tackle CC & GHG emissions in future (see here:

https://twitter.com/greens4hs2/status/1261082334994014208?s=21

)

https://twitter.com/garethdennis/status/1206959260665569285

So forgive me @GreenJJNews, the points you’ve put forward range from wrong to misinterpreted to downright contradictory. All my points come with a demonstrable, evidence base. I am a railway operational manager, sustainable transport advocate (watch this: )

was a previous transport consultant, urban planner & environmental engineer. I look forward to your response. p.s. you said there were 6 points but you’ve only put 5...