High Speed trains "every four minutes" (From Bucks Free Press)

Ha ha..."gasps of disbelief", this really is comedy gold...the Daily Mail would be proud to have reporting of this calibre.

I dont know about the trains but the storys are every 4 minutes.Come on bfp this is all up in the air at the moment so forget it until you have something factual to comment on

This scheme is likely to be changed, postponed or dropped after the election.
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If or when it ever happens I can't see the need for trains every 4 minutes. Who on earth are all the people who would be getting it?

The hens will stop laying, the cows will stop giving milk... It's like 1840 all over again with these superstitious country folk.

I can think of better ways to spend £50 Billion rather than getting to Birmingham 45 minutes earlier on an empty train.

BFP, stop printing stories like this and scaremongering ! it COULD not it is.... last i heard that the route is not even confirmed yet.
To be frank about it, if the cost of property goes up anymore in Bucks i personally will welcome this train as i will have to move further up north and get the train down here for work ! because Im a first time buyer and i can not afford a one bed flat here let alone a nice house to start a family in. CATCH 22 I think !!

14 trains use the line ... both ways, so traffic in one direction would be every 8 minutes. So don't try and frighten people that they would be as close as four minutes apart.
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Unfortunately the "journalists" of the Bucks Free press are not better that the hacks on other newspapers. They think that it is their job to hype everything up in order to sell newpapers and get people to visit the website.
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The idea that the BFP wants to keep the local people informaed is just pure rubbish.
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Hype sells.
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However, when asked to do some research into the business dealings of Steve Hayes and local councillors in relation to the new money pit of a stadium, the BFP remains VERY quiet, and only manages to produce of "reasearch" that shows 100% support for the £500,000 study of paying for the stadium!!!
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I know at least two people who stated their opposition to the "journalist" ast the time, yet their views were never printed, giving an untrue reflection of public support.
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I can only assume, therefore, that the FREE press is only FREE if the editor and journos are in agreement with what has been said.
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Why would they be in agreement of something so obviously wasteful?
Has Steve Hayes been handing out "presents" again?
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All in all, VERY bad journalism and MAYBE corruption within the BFP.
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BFP please investigate and reply.

In the HS2 report it mentions a max of 18 trains an hour. Just how many people are going to be on these trains?

The cost of running a train for 5 or 6 people will be huge. It wil still be cheaper to fly.

i agree the bfp is surely trying to whip up hysteria, lets calm down and look at the reality for a moment, i see now they want to tunnel under Hazlemere, good luck with that one

Blueberry wrote:
This scheme is likely to be changed, postponed or dropped after the election.
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If or when it ever happens I can't see the need for trains every 4 minutes. Who on earth are all the people who would be getting it?

You are correct , Bb.
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Assuming the trains are nearly 'full' (no standing room allowed on these trains ) and I am guesstimating here :
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1. That equates to (approx) - about 250 people per train load on a 'medium sized' carriage count.
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2. That equals, according to the Mayor of Amersham's figures (a local politician) about 3,500 people per hour. Note I don't know if that's just one way ; so assume it is not.
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3. Assume there are 'rush periods' during week days Mon-Fri of 0800 to 1000hrs and 1600-1800 hrs at this peak of 14.2 trains per hour and the rest of the time ( day?) it operate at half the rate. Therefore that is
: 20 (hours at peak) multiplied by 3500 plus 70 (non-rush hours - non-rhrs) also multiplied by 3500 (divided by 2 for nonrushhrs)
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that = 162,500 people journeys per working week
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It would need to run at week ends, otherwise it would be a wasting financial asset costing money by just existing - so lets say on Sats and Suns (not much business travel) it would run at the third of the rate of the normal week day so thats 2 days at 8 rhrs plus 28 (non-rhrs) . That equates to 25000 people journeys.
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That's a Grand Total of 162.5K plus 25K which equals 187.5K people journeys for a whole week.
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Allow a 50 week year for break-downs / closures and maintenance etc (wishful thinking) that is a rounded figure of about 950, 000 people journeys per year . That's nearly a million, folks.
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I dare not really hazard a guess at the operating costs but going by current rail prices and allowing for moderate inflation over the next 10 years I would estimate that an 'ordinary' non-return ticket from London to B'ham would need to be of the order £350-£400.
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Think about it . Does it all make sense ? Is it economically viable. Not to me ; perhaps I'm too cynical.
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Regards

And that's just the break-even operational pricing - without paying off the £30 billion cost in the first place.
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That's £30,000,000,000 folks (assumed we're talking American billions)- and that's just the Civil Service Estimate.
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Going by all their recent estimates - The Scottish Parliament building , The Olympics (don't believe what the politicians are saying) the NHS computer system , the Swiss Particle Accelerator, The Met Office new offices in Somerset etc , etc.
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The likelihood it will be well in excess of £100 billion ! That's almost half the current Government budget !
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Back to the IMF ?

Welwyn Dowd wrote:
The hens will stop laying, the cows will stop giving milk... It's like 1840 all over again with these superstitious country folk.

Prat!!!!

Just because you live in a dump town called Wycombe doesn't give you the right to label country folk as superstitious or anything else. A lot of people live in the country for a reason, one being to get away from the hustle and bustle of town centres and cities. I work in London and live in the country and i for one prefer that. I find it enables you to relax easier and have a better quality of life. No i am not a Nimby/yoghurt knitter/tree hugger or whatever name you can come up with, far from it.

Maybe instead of getting rid of the fly-over down Abbey Way they should replace it with the High Speed Rail Link and see if you like it when trains every 4 or 8 mins come hurtling past as 320 to 370- kph?

Now, stop knocking the BFP. Somehow or other, they occasionally get things right, and they are a source of information, not always perfect, otherwise you and I wouldn't be here.
Loved the headline (on line) a couple of weeks ago, however, "MISSING MAN FOUND".
Thankfully, I don't believe it made it into print.

I'm puzzled why Lillymow welcomes the train but doesn't use the existing service to live in Birmingham and work in London?

I agree with J D Blacket, £30 Billion is nothing like what this will cost (add Wembley Stadium to your list).

We should not be complacent however by saying it will never happen. The Government have probably spent millions already on consultants and getting this far. We need to bury it before it goes any further.

The DJ wrote:

Welwyn Dowd wrote: The hens will stop laying, the cows will stop giving milk... It's like 1840 all over again with these superstitious country folk.

Prat!!!! Just because you live in a dump town called Wycombe doesn't give you the right to label country folk as superstitious or anything else. A lot of people live in the country for a reason, one being to get away from the hustle and bustle of town centres and cities. I work in London and live in the country and i for one prefer that. I find it enables you to relax easier and have a better quality of life. No i am not a Nimby/yoghurt knitter/tree hugger or whatever name you can come up with, far from it. Maybe instead of getting rid of the fly-over down Abbey Way they should replace it with the High Speed Rail Link and see if you like it when trains every 4 or 8 mins come hurtling past as 320 to 370- kph?

Thank you DJ for your opinion.
With that level of intellect, you should readily qualify for a job mucking out stables at your own or a proximitous farm.
Perhaps you should stay at home more, instead of commuting!
Or have they taken the bars off the windows?

hondo wrote:

The DJ wrote:

Welwyn Dowd wrote: The hens will stop laying, the cows will stop giving milk... It's like 1840 all over again with these superstitious country folk.

Prat!!!! Just because you live in a dump town called Wycombe doesn't give you the right to label country folk as superstitious or anything else. A lot of people live in the country for a reason, one being to get away from the hustle and bustle of town centres and cities. I work in London and live in the country and i for one prefer that. I find it enables you to relax easier and have a better quality of life. No i am not a Nimby/yoghurt knitter/tree hugger or whatever name you can come up with, far from it. Maybe instead of getting rid of the fly-over down Abbey Way they should replace it with the High Speed Rail Link and see if you like it when trains every 4 or 8 mins come hurtling past as 320 to 370- kph?

Thank you DJ for your opinion.
With that level of intellect, you should readily qualify for a job mucking out stables at your own or a proximitous farm.
Perhaps you should stay at home more, instead of commuting!
Or have they taken the bars off the windows?

Hondo get a life.

Don't you like me using the word Prat? Or is it you don't like my flipside to the argument when i stated that the HS link should be put down Abbey Way?

How would you like it if in the not so distant future there was a possibility, even if at the moment it is a small one, your life and way of living which you have worked hard to get could be destroyed by the prospect of trains flying past you for what seems to be no genuine reason whatsoever?
You choose to live where you live and i choose to live why i do but i still fail to see what benefit this link is going to give no matter where it is placed? If someone can come forward with a cost effective argument for the link then please do but as i see things at the moment it is all Pie in the Sky government jibber jabber which will never come off.

hondo wrote:

The DJ wrote:

Welwyn Dowd wrote: The hens will stop laying, the cows will stop giving milk... It's like 1840 all over again with these superstitious country folk.

Prat!!!! Just because you live in a dump town called Wycombe doesn't give you the right to label country folk as superstitious or anything else. A lot of people live in the country for a reason, one being to get away from the hustle and bustle of town centres and cities. I work in London and live in the country and i for one prefer that. I find it enables you to relax easier and have a better quality of life. No i am not a Nimby/yoghurt knitter/tree hugger or whatever name you can come up with, far from it. Maybe instead of getting rid of the fly-over down Abbey Way they should replace it with the High Speed Rail Link and see if you like it when trains every 4 or 8 mins come hurtling past as 320 to 370- kph?

Thank you DJ for your opinion.
With that level of intellect, you should readily qualify for a job mucking out stables at your own or a proximitous farm.
Perhaps you should stay at home more, instead of commuting!
Or have they taken the bars off the windows?

Also thank you for those really useful cohesive constructive and sensible comments about Wycombe !
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We love having Wycombe slagged off by Wycombe haters - we really love it. Love it !
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You are right , hondo , if some people make verbally loutish, ill-mannered, ill-informed , undereducated sweeping statements and generalised statements about Wycombe and its people , it makes you wonder what They are like as people.
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And that's whether they live in the country, semi-rural, town or city .
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I would deem the above as Unnecessary and Uncalled for Abuse on Wycombe Town and on its denizens here , hondo. Perhaps the abuse should be treated with the contempt it shows us and encourages on itself.
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And to the abuser - please give it a rest , old chap - it's getting boring and is really annoying .
Thank you

PS Please note - the High Speed project will NOT happen in the way as described by the particular political gang in power at the moment. Read my previous post about the costs and viability.
And calm the abuse down - that's what politicians want us to do - be at each others throats - it's called Divide and Rule. That's how they retain power.
Regards

Sorry,could someone tell me how DJ is being abusive?
All he has said about Wycombe is what our resident so called "Wycombe lover" blogger has been saying for months.

The DJ wrote:

Welwyn Dowd wrote:
The hens will stop laying, the cows will stop giving milk... It's like 1840 all over again with these superstitious country folk.

Prat!!!!

Just because you live in a dump town called Wycombe doesn't give you the right to label country folk as superstitious or anything else. A lot of people live in the country for a reason, one being to get away from the hustle and bustle of town centres and cities. I work in London and live in the country and i for one prefer that. I find it enables you to relax easier and have a better quality of life. No i am not a Nimby/yoghurt knitter/tree hugger or whatever name you can come up with, far from it.

Maybe instead of getting rid of the fly-over down Abbey Way they should replace it with the High Speed Rail Link and see if you like it when trains every 4 or 8 mins come hurtling past as 320 to 370- kph?

Please read the above , demoness for starters. Ta -more to follow

The question I am forced to ask is “Isn’t this a 19th century answer to a 21st century problem?”

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!

Well at least we have found somebody else who likes the sound of their own voice almost as much as Blackett.

monique wrote:
Well at least we have found somebody else who likes the sound of their own voice almost as much as Blackett.

I think he speaks perfect sense.. were there too many long words for you?

Hmmm.

monique wrote:
Well at least we have found somebody else who likes the sound of their own voice almost as much as Blackett.

Actually I hate the sound of my own voice. It's truly unpleasant I think
But I love words even if I can't spell or pronounce them
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And I should apologize for saying what I do?
I am only availing myself of the facilities provided hereon.
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Things are a bit slack at the moment in my line of business , so I must admit , so perhaps I 'talk ' too much at the moment - but I don't prevaricate or use abuse people or am disingenuous. And there is an element of truth and research in all I type (I hope)
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Am I boring you , Monique ? Like Ivor ? In that case , I apologize
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Regards
PS the msg above from eccentrograf was at least 100 words longer than any of mine ever were . You were a bit harsh on her/him however.

Malc London wrote:
I'm puzzled why Lillymow welcomes the train but doesn't use the existing service to live in Birmingham and work in London? I agree with J D Blacket, £30 Billion is nothing like what this will cost (add Wembley Stadium to your list). We should not be complacent however by saying it will never happen. The Government have probably spent millions already on consultants and getting this far. We need to bury it before it goes any further.

Well lets see now, its cheaper for me to drive a car than it is to get on a train, for starters the cost of the carpark is stupidly expensive, then you pay silly amounts for public transport... how often does that run on time ey !!? I DONT want to move out of this area if I can help it, my family are here...but we dont all earn lots of money to be able to live here ! why do you live here and not use the train and live in Birmingham ? dont ask silly questions

Interesting spat here. However, I think it does demonstrate how easily this 'protest' will be overcome. The impression given by the antis is one of NIMBYism - effectively they are saying 'it's fine for somewhere like Wycombe, but not here in pretty Amersham.'

As for the belief that the Tories will can it/change the route if elected, forget it. Read very carefully what Cheryl Gillan has actually said and you'll see that the railway is coming...

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

demoness wrote:
Sorry,could someone tell me how DJ is being abusive?
All he has said about Wycombe is what our resident so called "Wycombe lover" blogger has been saying for months.

Obviously my comments are not welcomed. At the end of the day Wycombe is not a great place and there are a lot of areas that are not very nice. However i have not been abusive, i am just stating a fact that others have stated more often than me.
My quote was no more abusive than what i was replying to by Welwyn Dowd. However i feel the abuse started when Hondo and now reading it further JB Blackett started questioning my intellect? Abuse directed at individuals is far more damaging than supposed abuse at a Town. Good job i have broad shoulders and i can treat Hondo and JB with the contempt that they deserve. IF JB had read my second post correctly they would have actually seen that i fail to see the benefit of the Rail Link full stop no matter where it is placed!

The DJ wrote:

demoness wrote:
Sorry,could someone tell me how DJ is being abusive?
All he has said about Wycombe is what our resident so called "Wycombe lover" blogger has been saying for months.

Obviously my comments are not welcomed. At the end of the day Wycombe is not a great place and there are a lot of areas that are not very nice. However i have not been abusive, i am just stating a fact that others have stated more often than me.
My quote was no more abusive than what i was replying to by Welwyn Dowd. However i feel the abuse started when Hondo and now reading it further JB Blackett started questioning my intellect? Abuse directed at individuals is far more damaging than supposed abuse at a Town. Good job i have broad shoulders and i can treat Hondo and JB with the contempt that they deserve. IF JB had read my second post correctly they would have actually seen that i fail to see the benefit of the Rail Link full stop no matter where it is placed!

I really think you do need to re-read the above posts - I did not refer to you at all , 'The DJ' !
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If read correctly, it can be seen that it was someone else who questioned your intellect, NOT me. That is an blatant untruth . Why accuse me ?
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My other preceding remarks and costings were for the benefit of anybody interested. Did you bother reading that at all ?
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And finally your name / person never came into any of my posts ; my remarks about Wycombe haters was addressed elsewhere.
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I think from reading your own posts you called someone a 'prat' and that he/she lived in 'a dump town called Wycombe' , whilst (perhaps by accident) not informing him/her of where you live. I don't think those sort of remarks will endear you to anybody , even non-residents of Wycombe Town.
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Please read and think more carefully before committing unfounded accusations on the net.
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Thank you.

I also said the Rail Link was not viable , cost wise or operationally ! Perhaps people inadvertently didn't notice that also.

J B Blackett wrote:

hondo wrote:

The DJ wrote:

Welwyn Dowd wrote: The hens will stop laying, the cows will stop giving milk... It's like 1840 all over again with these superstitious country folk.

Prat!!!! Just because you live in a dump town called Wycombe doesn't give you the right to label country folk as superstitious or anything else. A lot of people live in the country for a reason, one being to get away from the hustle and bustle of town centres and cities. I work in London and live in the country and i for one prefer that. I find it enables you to relax easier and have a better quality of life. No i am not a Nimby/yoghurt knitter/tree hugger or whatever name you can come up with, far from it. Maybe instead of getting rid of the fly-over down Abbey Way they should replace it with the High Speed Rail Link and see if you like it when trains every 4 or 8 mins come hurtling past as 320 to 370- kph?

Thank you DJ for your opinion.
With that level of intellect, you should readily qualify for a job mucking out stables at your own or a proximitous farm.
Perhaps you should stay at home more, instead of commuting!
Or have they taken the bars off the windows?

Also thank you for those really useful cohesive constructive and sensible comments about Wycombe !
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We love having Wycombe slagged off by Wycombe haters - we really love it. Love it !
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You are right , hondo , if some people make verbally loutish, ill-mannered, ill-informed , undereducated sweeping statements and generalised statements about Wycombe and its people , it makes you wonder what They are like as people.
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And that's whether they live in the country, semi-rural, town or city .
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I would deem the above as Unnecessary and Uncalled for Abuse on Wycombe Town and on its denizens here , hondo. Perhaps the abuse should be treated with the contempt it shows us and encourages on itself.
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And to the abuser - please give it a rest , old chap - it's getting boring and is really annoying .
Thank you

PS Please note - the High Speed project will NOT happen in the way as described by the particular political gang in power at the moment. Read my previous post about the costs and viability.
And calm the abuse down - that's what politicians want us to do - be at each others throats - it's called Divide and Rule. That's how they retain power.
Regards

"You are right , hondo , if some people make verbally loutish, ill-mannered, ill-informed , undereducated sweeping statements and generalised statements about Wycombe and its people , it makes you wonder what They are like as people. "

Really JB in quoting the above post and making the statement i have copied out as far as i see it looks as though you are agreeing with the statements made by Hondo. If i have misread that i apologise.

Oh and to answer your question, i live in Great Missenden.

Great Missenden - lovely place and people; know it quite well. Nice , well looked-after old cottages in a nice setting especially when seen from the seats on Frith hill. Looks idyllic from that perspective. As seen on Midsomer Murders
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The Co-op is a great improvement on the old Sommerfields ; lovely church ; nice pubs (the ones that are left) ; nice hot air balloons venue; expensive food / restaurant outlets ; OK playing fields and Community Centre.
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Wasn't keen on the noisy nearby by-pass and the graffiti and rubbish on the walk up near the historic St Peter and Paul church. Something should be done about that.
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I am totally against this High speed rail link where ever is said to be being located. Against for environmental , economic , financial , practical , common sense , anti-politician reasons etc etc.
There are far greater long-term needs in this country compared to this unneeded mis-guided project.
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I hope it will never happen. Only the mis-informed or people with hidden agenda say they want it.
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Regards
PS I look on Wycombe as a truly historic town with a pre-Roman / Roman / Saxon / mediæval history to be proud of (like Missenden).
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Unfortunately in recent years due to inept governance , uncaring thoughtless councillors (who don't live here), over-development , speculators , over-population and a sell-out to the motor car , the Town has inherited suffered all the ills of misconceived ideas of the 60s/70s/80s and 90s.
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Some of us who do care about Wycombe wish to undo the harm done to this historic and now post-industrial town. We live and work in hope.

Why would anyone want to be closer to Birmingham??