Will HS2 actually be an interesting journey from a passenger perspective?

[matacaster]

I think it will be tedious to be honest. A major part of leisure travel is the varied view etc. In fairness, If you just want to go from a to b, it won't matter.

 

[BayPaul]

A comparison with the tube seems sensible at this point. London - Birmingham would be a similar journey time, and a similar ratio of view: no view as Aldgate East - Acton Town on the District line. It really isn't too much of a hardship, and it isn't much of a surprise that the tube is a lot more popular than taking a bus (which provides a view, and a similar journey time to going by the WCML to Birmingham).
For me, I suspect it'll be a lot less tedious than a long journey on the ECML, where the scenery is pretty uninspiring until you get to the northern end, and the journey time is much, much longer.

 

[Irascible]

I've never found travel "exhausting" beyond the amount of time it takes, although the tube does feel slightly longer because its slower. To me, generally 60 minutes feels like 60 minutes but then I'm normally listening to music / on my phone; even though I might look out occasionally it forms a fairly insignificant part of my journey (with travel time, cost, comfort, space, facilities all scoring much higher), but I appreciate everyone is different.

I had a limit on the tube, and the Heron Quay - Harringay run I did for a while was way over it. On the other hand just jumping on the Victoria line from say, Severn Sisters for a blast ( that run used to feel a little out of control ) down to Warren St is nothing. The only thing that kept me sane on the DLR - northenr city grind was that I could watch something go by for most of it.

( And there's a thing about non-adjacent interchanges - Bank to Moorgate is really not very far *except* when you have to get up out of one station & back down into the other as well, at that point one stop on the Misery line starts being attractve )

 

[yorksrob]

I travelled London to Ashford on HS1 a couple of years back, with a relative who isn’t into railways in any way. After getting off at Ashford he remarked “what a horrible boring journey that was”. Yet he was perfectly happy later the same day to be on an Electrostar from Hastings to Charing Cross which called virtually everywhere and took four or five times as long.

A lot of people do like to window-gaze. Likewise a drive up the A1 is so much less tedious than a run along something like the M4 which, from the M25 to Bristol at least, is pretty featureless.

Will it be a major issue for HS2? Probably not, as people will appreciate the speed. It will quite probably be something some people pass comment on, though.

It's a very scenic journey between Hastings and London. Not sure the same can be said for most of HS1.

 

[Meerkat]

I really like the bit of HS1 from the London tunnel to Ebbsfleet - its like a rollercoaster and all the industry and infrastructure is interesting.
It is a reason to get the train rather than drive for me - relax and just watch the world go by, with 'ugly' urban areas even more fascinating than plain countryside. I wish you could turn the lights off at night so you could see out on the way back!
If there is nothing to look at on HS2 I might have to find a seat with no window - if I try to read on a daylight train I get travel sick.