Hughenden Valley, Hazlemere and Gerrards Cross in firing line for High Speed rail (From Bucks Free Press)
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Hughenden Valley, Hazlemere and Gerrards Cross in firing line for High Speed rail
11:21am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in
HORRIFIED villagers in Hughenden are fearing for the future of their precious valley after it emerged it is in the firing line for the Government's High Speed rail project.
Trains could thunder through Hughenden Valley at speeds of up to 250mph - if there is enough opposition to the preferred route through the Chiltern district.
A wave of protests are set to break out across the Chilterns over the Government's plan – which said a route through Chalfont St Giles, Old Amersham and near to Great Missenden is the “preferred” option.
If this option is defeated by protesters the controversial report said a route tunnelling under Gerrards Cross and Hazlemere, before emerging at Hughenden will be a “genuine alternative”.
Richard Pushman, chairman of Buckinghamshire County Council, said: “I can't believe this is an option – I discovered it to my horror.”
The member for Hughenden added: “To take away the tranquillity of the area would be an act of vandalism - we are extremely concerned about it.”
A 720-metre viaduct would have to be built to span the Hughenden Valley and carry trains which would run non-stop from London to Birmingham. The trains would then go on to Manchester and Leeds.
This option would be more expensive and “slightly inferior” to the first choice route, the report said. (Click the link below for more details on the route)
The preferred route consists of a tunnel beginning at the M25 near Chalfont St Peter and continuing underground through the northern part of Chalfont St Giles and old Amersham.
It would then go overground and run parallel to the A413 just south of Hyde Heath and then on through the fields between Great Missenden and South Heath.
The Government said the service, which would not stop in Bucks, would be a massive boost to the economy and get people off aeroplanes. It would cut journey times between Britain's two biggest cities by about 40 minutes.
Work on the £30 billion project could start in 2019 for the line to be ready in 2026.
Conservation groups and Buckinghamshire Mps have already spoken out against the plan and emotions are set to run high at a public meeting in Great Missenden later this month.
Comments(31)
Dr Truth
says...
11:37am Tue 16 Mar 10
Hit me
says...
12:09pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Everyone seems to agree that we cant all carry on driving everywhere - as the roads simply cant handle the volume of traffic.
Rail is well proven to be one of the more environmentally friendly forms of transport (Not as friendly as flying - contrary to popular opinion), so why oh why would we be so opposed to extending the rail network?
..and to say that the existing line is fine is rubbish - its at full capacity now, with no room for more (let alone quicker) expansion in the future.
So rather than rejecting any idea that is presented out of hand, how about some more constructive suggestions?
pennman
says...
12:11pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Hit me
says...
12:21pm Tue 16 Mar 10
...just because it wont stop in bucks doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed to pass through!
Mutley
says...
1:02pm Tue 16 Mar 10
TheT0nemeister
says...
1:32pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Mutley wrote:Great idea! Except your still stuffed if you get on at the Wycombe junction as the train does not stop in Bucks and the fact the train going passed at 3 times the speed will only antagonize the road users causing them to increase there speed and inevitably cause more accidents.
How about converting the outside lanes of the M1 or M40 to run the trains there. The corridor is already there and it might encourage car drivers to use the train next time when it goes past at three times the speed. It would just need a suitable crash barrier to separate it. I'm just nipping down the patent office with my plans!
Hit me
says...
1:34pm Tue 16 Mar 10
..that way you address the road capacity issue too?
miccles
says...
1:47pm Tue 16 Mar 10
The route that has been chosen and put forward is "The Chalfonts, Amersham, Gt Miss, Wendover etc"
What has this got to do with "Hazlemere, Hughenden, gerrards Cross"????
Who is pooing their pants and acting as tho its going to happen this week???
Phredd
says...
1:57pm Tue 16 Mar 10
miccles
says...
2:00pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Hope the nice weather lasts for a while, what does everyone else think???????????????
????
Planes TRAINS and automobiles
miccles
says...
2:06pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Phredd wrote:Don't say that otherwise they will start panicking they are living on the foundations marked out for it, and there houses are cracking up because the foundations are falling in.
Back at the beginning of the twentieth century there was a plan to build an extension of the Metropolitan Railway from Great Missenden to Wycombe. It would have run via Hughenden, but was never built because of the compensation demanded by landowners in the Hughenden area...
hondo
says...
2:44pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Hit me wrote:Don't be silly.
There are plenty of people using the trains now, and with a faster link, even more will. ...just because it wont stop in bucks doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed to pass through!
Did you actually switch on your brain before writing this?
If you get on a train, your intention must be to go SOMEWHERE.
I'll just get on a high speed train to go to .......... eeeeeeeeeh! well quickly anyway.
kaysee
says...
3:01pm Tue 16 Mar 10
miccles
says...
3:21pm Tue 16 Mar 10
kaysee wrote:Yes i saw that, but if you think about it, the route that has been selected is the most practical, as it is mainly countryside, which really makes sense.
miccles, if you read the full report, there is a link to it somewhere on the BFP pages, you will see that three routes were planned, Hughenden, Amersham and Milton Keynes. The Amersham one has been selected as best choice, but that does not rule out the others.
The Hughenden route, North Dean etc, is to built up, can you imagine all those houses being demolished, i can't.
Lets wait and see shall we, and stop jumping to conclusions???
there are to many "what ifs," in this world.
J B Blackett
says...
6:16pm Tue 16 Mar 10
.
Is that not a picture (allegedly) of the very similar councillor with a quite similar name who a while ago expressed his dislike for Wycombe Town and its citizens (allegedly) saying they were a lot of criminals and He didn't want those sort of persons in Hughenden Valley.
.
I could be wrong (it may be alleged)
.
I wonder if he will be asking for for support from the (allegedly some of them ne'er-do-wells) people of Wycombe Town.
.
I hope so.
J B Blackett
says...
6:32pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Hit me wrote:You are correct in one way , miccles
Why is everyone so against development?
Everyone seems to agree that we cant all carry on driving everywhere - as the roads simply cant handle the volume of traffic.
Rail is well proven to be one of the more environmentally friendly forms of transport (Not as friendly as flying - contrary to popular opinion), so why oh why would we be so opposed to extending the rail network?
..and to say that the existing line is fine is rubbish - its at full capacity now, with no room for more (let alone quicker) expansion in the future.
So rather than rejecting any idea that is presented out of hand, how about some more constructive suggestions?
.
BUT.
.
The whole idea is for people with £500-600 in their pocket who need to get to B'ham or Manchester to save a few hours in their precious expensive lives.
.
It's not for your average commuter / customer with an Oyster card or whatever.
.
It'll be for 'overpaid' people , most on expenses - eg MPs , Lords of the Realm , Senior Civil sevants , Billionaire oligarches, Showbiz personnel , Sports 'stars' , Senior Religious people , Bankers (all sorts) , Chairmen and Members of Boards etc possibly non-tax-paying Non-Doms.
.
There's thousands of them you know. But there's a lot more of us - and it is us who will be paying for it most of it , of course.
.
If it ever happens and if it ever goes where the political current gang says it's going.
.
Safe journey !
demoness
says...
8:13pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Hit me wrote:I am against anything that wilfully destroys other living creatures's habitat and environment.
Why is everyone so against development? Everyone seems to agree that we cant all carry on driving everywhere - as the roads simply cant handle the volume of traffic. Rail is well proven to be one of the more environmentally friendly forms of transport (Not as friendly as flying - contrary to popular opinion), so why oh why would we be so opposed to extending the rail network? ..and to say that the existing line is fine is rubbish - its at full capacity now, with no room for more (let alone quicker) expansion in the future. So rather than rejecting any idea that is presented out of hand, how about some more constructive suggestions?
This planet DOES NOT belong to humans - we share it with all sorts of living creatures, all of whom have as much right to be here as us.
Do you use trains? I do, a lot. This link just is not necessary. There are plenty of excellent routes already.
eccentrograf
says...
9:54pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Wouldn’t it be more objective to look at the problem in the context of all options. I read recently that the Japanese started constuction of their high-speed rail network in 1964. Do you think that they would have approached that project in the same way if they had had today’s electronic communications available to them then. Probably not.
Thousands of small, medium and large businesses have embraced modern electronic communications (email, web conferencing, modern telephone) successfully, permitting remote working by their employees as well as the successful distribution of their business to regional offices where appropriate. In this country we seem to have a pre-occupation with “bums on seats” employment. Unless someone is at a certain location, the work is apparently not being done. We all know that this is simply not true.
Of course, electronic communications does not mitigate the need for travelling in some cases, but I would urge anyone reading this to look hard at how they approach work and ask themselves, is much of their travellingt really justified?
Why don’t we improve our exiting railway networks to cope with travel when needed, but encourge less travelling where it is unnecessary.
Of course, electronic communication improvements do not have the same curb appeal as a brand new shiny railway when it comes to electioneering. This was confirmed in the last few days when the government suggested a laughable method for raising funds ti improve broadband connectivity. I say laughable for two reasons. One, because the amount they would raise by this means was totally inadequate for the task in hand. But secondly and of greater concern was the fact that many MPs cited that the economy couldn’t afford to spend money on such schemes at the moment. How can such an argument even hold water when there are rumours banded around that the proposed high speed rail scheme will cost in excess of £34bn!!!
Infrastructure investment goes beyong roads and railways. Communications technologies can and do offer a realistic way of reducing the need for shuffling workforces from pillar to post. Invest in this and you can free the existing transport systems of unneccesary traffic, freeing the capacity for those wishing to travel. Moreover, workforces and businesses can be based regionally, encouraging the growth of local economies in an electronically joined up market!
IslandBlog
says...
9:25am Wed 17 Mar 10
miccles
says...
9:30am Wed 17 Mar 10
**Can BFP take this story off**, want something interesting to log onto
J B Blackett
says...
2:46pm Wed 17 Mar 10
miccles wrote:It's in your hands to change the subject - BFP will take no notice what so ever of your pleas. There's nobody there to listen.
This story is getting very very boring now, for something that is unlikely to happen in this area, as the route has been selected somewhere else, secondly its not even going to take place for at least 20 years, and thirdly half the people around at the moment will probably be long gone anyway.
**Can BFP take this story off**, want something interesting to log onto
.
Start a topic off about the Asteroid due in 2015 or the 5 new hotels to built in Wycombe or the price of petrol (£1.21 litres or £4.58 gal) or water shortages in the Third World or the rapidly escalating population figures. Or something of your own choice.
.
Over to you.
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Regards
demoness
says...
10:12pm Wed 17 Mar 10
pennman wrote:You really are a complete **** aren't you?
The government is effectively holding a gun to our heads as this will either upset the people in Chalfont or those in Hazlemere / Hughenden. Is there a real need for a high speed train link anyway? I can't think of anyone who uses trains to the North (apart from students and pensioners- neither of whom are really pressed for time).
Tell me do you ever take your head out of your olympic sized swimming pool to realise that life does not just revolve round Penn and the building trade?
As a matter of interest I am neither a pensioner or a student but I go up north frequently for meetings, conferences etc and I can think of plenty more like me. In fact if the trains on which I travel are anything to go on, I would say there is plenty of activity and business going on in the north.
And that is why I, not you, can say that no we do not need the line as there is a good and fast enough service already.
Ewartwhatyoubulldoze
says...
2:11pm Thu 18 Mar 10
J B Blackett
says...
2:12pm Thu 18 Mar 10
Ewartwhatyoubulldoze wrote:Yep !
Some of you will be pleased to hear that mine will be one of the houses demolished if the Hughenden viaduct sees the light of day. I'm afraid I'm one of those NIMBY Luddite non-masochists (other names withheld) who questions whether everything made of shiny steel and concrete and underwritten by taxpayers does indeed represent progress. Concorde. Titanic. LHR 3rd Runway. Eurotunnel (before the several massive bailouts by the taxpayer). Fortunately, I am convinced it is all election bluster and this particular white elephant will never see the light of day anywhere, Chilterns AONB or otherwise. It's not affordable and it's benefits case is as ropey and full of holes as you might expect being authored by a bunch of chimps.
Ewartwhatyoubulldoze
says...
2:22pm Thu 18 Mar 10
Ewartwhatyoubulldoze
says...
3:01pm Thu 18 Mar 10
J B Blackett
says...
3:19pm Thu 18 Mar 10
Ewartwhatyoubulldoze wrote:Nope !
Not the same J B Blackett who is CEO of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, perchance? So you live in High Wycombe do you? No vested interest in HS2 there, then...
Ewartwhatyoubulldoze
says...
4:57pm Thu 18 Mar 10
J B Blackett
says...
6:07pm Thu 18 Mar 10
Ewartwhatyoubulldoze
says...
9:21am Fri 19 Mar 10
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TheT0nemeister says...
11:33am Tue 16 Mar 10