Diesels Under the Wires

[starrymarkb]

I wouldn't worry about Birmingham Curazon Street too much for cross country services. I would just use the Birmingham Interchange for these services with connections made to Curazon Street using London to Birmingham HS services.

I would also suggest a service from Bristol to Manchester on the HS lines, extending to Plymouth if they get that far with High Speed Lines.

So you are basically suggesting getting another train to Birmingham Intl and then another one back to Curzon Street for a Scotland bound service? Isn't that a lot of faffage!

I do think HS2 should be more integrated with the classic lines. Why not have long distance Classic services use Curzon street to provide a good interchange? Might also solve the congestion at B.N.S

 

[NotATrainspott]

If it were possible to demolish most of the area of Birmingham south of Curzon Street then at some point there will probably be more platforms there - it's where I would put a station box for the CrossCountry HSR with classic platforms on top to replace the curviest and shortest platforms at New Street. Unfortunately this area is also part of a conservation area and there are a couple of Grade II and II* listed buildings in the way as well. I'm sure they'll be able to find some suitable engineering solution to this conundrum somehow - the buildings aren't very large so I'm sure a compromise involving moving them could be arranged, especially if the surface could be returned to a normal state afterwards. Either that or they would need to do a bored station which would cost an enormous amount of money and would probably derail the entire HS-XC idea (which really does require a central Birmingham through station in order to make any economic sense, unfortunately). There is little chance of a connection being provided between HS2 and the existing New Street station but this station box design could have a grade-separated junction to the HS2 Birmingham spur added in the area around Washwood Heath without a great deal of difficulty.

 

[Class 170101]

Not a Trainspott(er) has summed up my thoughts perfectly. You could of course have the High Speed Cross Country services reverse at Curazon Street but that extends journey times. Unless you could make Curazon Street a through Station it is likely to make HS2 extremely expensive (and unaffordable) due to the amount of tunnelling required. So instead the cheaper option is for people to change trains at Birmingham Interchange.

 

[edwin_m]

Won't changing trains at Birmingham Interchange be worse than at Curzon Street? Curzon Street is right next to Moor Street and probably only a five minute walk from New Street, and it is likely that a travelator, tram or other link will be provided which will help those with luggage. Interchange is a much longer distance from International, which doesn't have trains on the Bristol route in any case.

Personally I think the best bet for this would be to make a link between Washwood Heath and Water Orton so trains from the north can transfer onto the classic line and call at New Street. These would largely replace the existing trains, and there is some scope to free up capacity at New Street by diverting some trains via the Camp Hill line and new curves to Moor Street.