Should HS2 be renamed?

[MadCommuter]

It seems that HS2 has quite a bad name now, especially in the media, and with only the southern section being built (subject to confirmation) in the meantime, is it time to name it something else?

The focus has been on high speed, but the line creates capacity and that is lost on the general public. So taking away the 'HS' from the name is an opportunity to highlight the other benefits.

 

[SynthD]

Don’t bother. HS1 had bad press before it opened, then when it started carrying people it was praised. Predicting hs2 will be this hated forever is excessive doom.

 

[High Dyke]

Grand White Elephant.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Hanslope Junction to London Euston Capacity Upgrade Project.

As that's what it does, always did do, and was always the root of what it was for.

 

[OhNoAPacer]

The Hanslope Junction to London Euston Capacity Upgrade Project.

As that's what it does, always did do, and was always the root of what it was for.

Will that message fit on the side of a campaign bus!

It may have always been largely about South WCML capacity but the problem is that as originally sold HS2 was about connectivity improvements for Midland and Northern cities.

As it now stands I think it will known, fairly or unfairly, as 'Expletive Deleted' The North.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It may have always been largely about South WCML capacity but the problem is that as originally sold HS2 was about connectivity improvements for Midland and Northern cities.

If built in full, it was also the "South Manchester and Coventry-Wolverhampton Corridor Local Passenger Service and East Coast and Midland Mainline Regional Capacity Enhancement Project".

Bit of a mouthful, but high speed was always the least important thing about it.

 

[OhNoAPacer]

If built in full, it was also the "South Manchester and Coventry-Wolverhampton Corridor Local Passenger Service and East Coast and Midland Mainline Regional Capacity Enhancement Project".

Bit of a mouthful, but high speed was always the least important thing about it.

We are going to need a larger bus

 

[Bletchleyite]

We are going to need a larger bus

Perhaps we could write it on the side of a 400m HS2 unit?

 

[Sorcerer]

For the sake of consistency, I think the HS2 name should remain despite the fact the speed potential wasn't the primary benefit.

HS1 was already set as the name of the first high speed line in Britain so HS2 would naturally be the name of the second. HS1 was also built for a similar purpose in that it was built as a bypass route for Eurostar trains to reach London from the Channel Tunnel without taking up space on the conventional network and also not being held back by the constraints of working on said network.

The names are still technically correct anyway since they are high speed lines, and they are also just easy to remember as well. Of course that said the name HS2 has unfortunately become tarnished with it's reputation as an increasingly expensive whitening elephant that has lost most of it's benefits. It's only saving grace as of now is the possibility it will even make it to Euston and not become totally useless.

 

[Basil Jet]

Since the high speed trains on the ECML are called Azuma, maybe we could call the new line Seppuku?

 

[Hadders]

HS1 was known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and suffered awful pubic perception when it was being planned and built. Many people did not want it, expensive, white elephant, not needed to save 15 mins etc etc.

Upon opening the CTRL was branded as HS1 supposedely the first of a network of high speed lines. Looks like we might end up with HS1.5 as the next line due to its cancellation.

Don't think the money 'saved' will be spent on anything significant either. There will be promises of pot holes being filled, an odd bypass here or there but nothing strategic like HS2 would've been.

 

[NoOldEngine]

HS1 was known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and suffered awful pubic perception when it was being planned and built. Many people did not want it, expensive, white elephant, not needed to save 15 mins etc etc.

Upon opening the CTRL was branded as HS1 supposedely the first of a network of high speed lines. Looks like we might end up with HS1.5 as the next line due to its cancellation.

Don't think the money 'saved' will be spent on anything significant either. There will be promises of pot holes being filled, an odd bypass here or there but nothing strategic like HS2 would've been.

HS2 is the overall scheme of things will be a small drop in the ocean of cuts to come. Pay back for the massive furlough bill of 2020 and tax cuts to help businesses around the country.

 

[Bletchleyite]

HS2 is the overall scheme of things will be a small drop in the ocean of cuts to come. Pay back for the massive furlough bill of 2020 and tax cuts to help businesses around the country.

This is a Tory fallacy - a lie to promote the austerity ideology. Most of it was funded by quantitative easing - "printing money" - which had a negligible effect on exchange rates because every single country (pretty much) did it.

 

[Mr. SW]

Since the high speed trains on the ECML are called Azuma, maybe we could call the new line Seppuku?

Atrundla

 

[Meerkat]

Premier Line

 

[Irascible]

Add it to the London tube map & give it an Overground route name, it's quicker than some journeys there...

Any money saved was saved to be filched - Cameron was the last PM who at least somewhat tried to do what was best for the nation ( occasionally ) & he was in the wrong party to do it. We haven't had govt for a while, we've had asset strippers.

 

[Sorcerer]

Just like HS1?

HS1, while underutilised, is most certainly not a white elephant. A white elephant is defined as expensive to maintain while serving no useful purpose, and HS1 serves it's purpose by being a dedicated route for Eurostar trains to travel to London without being slowed down by slower local traffic on the southern railway network and without using up the capacity.

 

[eldomtom2]

New West Coast Main Line gets the point across nicely (and follows Japanese precedent), but it's probably a bit late for a rebrand at this point.

 

[Starmill]

HS1, while underutilised, is most certainly not a white elephant. A white elephant is defined as expensive to maintain while serving no useful purpose, and HS1 serves it's purpose by being a dedicated route for Eurostar trains to travel to London without being slowed down by slower local traffic on the southern railway network and without using up the capacity.

Indeed - I was being sarcastic!

 

[Sorcerer]

Indeed - I was being sarcastic!

Oh, my sincere apologies!

 

[Starmill]

Oh, my sincere apologies!

No worries, I didn't make it terribly, easy as I should have included a

 

[High Dyke]

Just like HS1?

Alright. Great White Elephant II.

 

[Trainguy34]

Since the high speed trains on the ECML are called Azuma, maybe we could call the new line Seppuku?

What does that translate to, Google translate is not coming up with anything.

 

[Irascible]

What does that translate to, Google translate is not coming up with anything.

It's a form of ( assisted ) ritual suicide, one reason for carrying it out would be if you had brought shame on yourself, or you clan ( which is an exceedingly complicated topic ).

 

[Trainguy34]

It's a form of ( assisted ) ritual suicide, one reason for carrying it out would be if you had brought shame on yourself, or you clan ( which is an exceedingly complicated topic ).

Ah, very fitting then.

 

[Turtle]

It's a form of ( assisted ) ritual suicide, one reason for carrying it out would be if you had brought shame on yourself, or you clan ( which is an exceedingly complicated topic ).

Sometimes called harakiri, literally "belly cut", which is part of the ritual.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Well, as HS1 was CTRL (Channel Tunnel Rail Link), then HS2 could be called WMRL (West Midlands Rail Link)?

 

[Irascible]

Sometimes called harakiri, literally "belly cut", which is part of the ritual.

Or the full ritual if the ... participant was judged sufficiently dishonourable/shameful for a mercy beheading. Hmm.

 

[Arkeeos]

A Great British Embarrassment right now.

For future high speed rail, British people seem weirdly adverse to wanting to go anywhere and nice things, so give it an unintuitive name and try and shut the public out. HS2 should have been called "West Coast And East Coast Capacity Release Line"

Also, make it sound as unambitious as possible (ambition is something to criticise), describe it as tracks near the WCML and M1 and station improvements that will aid in releasing capacity. Make it sound as routine as possible. "The "West Coast And East Coast Capacity Release Line" is part of numerous upgrades we are carrying out on the rail network to improve reliability."

 

[mike57]

There is nothing wrong with HS2 as the original concept, as planned it would have been a step change improvements to journeys between London and a lot of places in the Midlands and the North.

What has failed is HS2 the project delivery, so may be name it "WCML capacity increase aka another poorly executed project which has failed to deliver", sorry got cynical hat on this morning