3pm 20/06/17
I have updated my monitoring of UK Power production to include Solar Energy. These are calculated by the University of Sheffield on behalf of the National Grid. Solar Energy and embedded wind farms are not metered centrally but appear as a reduction in demand on the Grid. In other words The Grid needs to use less traditional generation if output is high. I also correct the metered wind output to include also embedded farms. The two icons on the right hand menu at the side of this page point to: 1)live power gauges and 2) a timeline of the last 24 hour power generation (shown below)
We do not need HS2, we need more capacity on the main lines, two tracks each way, electrify the lines still running on diesel and put longer platforms or double decker trains on the busy commuter lines into London. Who needs to get to Birmingham 20 or so minutes earlier?
Agreed. Even Italy electrified all their lines 20 years ago!
“Who needs to get to Birmingham 20 or so minutes earlier?”
Especially now that trains are WiFi enabled, of course.
Another point that is not mentioned is that the line will never pay for itself as few or no passengers will actually pay to use it, at the price of tickets it will be used solely by civil servants and politicians who will be paid for by the government or business users who will set the cost as travelling expenses against tax.
So the taxpayer will be stitched up all the way down the line.
For the same reason business class in BA flights are full of Civil Servants, Diplomats, UN aid officials, and rich celebs. You and I are crammed in the back of the plane where seats cost 4 times less.