tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277746591174465580.post1357374717624064056..comments2023-06-26T15:29:14.498+01:00Comments on Liberator’s blog: High-speed rail NIMBIs (Not In My Bucolic Idyll)Gareth Eppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18198368251505541728noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277746591174465580.post-35869251958600598132013-01-30T14:02:09.386+00:002013-01-30T14:02:09.386+00:00The present fleet of Eurostar trains was built to ...The present fleet of Eurostar trains was built to fit the British loading guage, since (before the opening of HS1) these trains had to run over the old tracks between the Channel Tunnel and London Waterloo. This does not affect the speed of these trains on high-speed tracks at all. They can go just as fast as French TGVs.<br /><br />If high-speed trains are constructed for use on both HS2 and conventional lines (i.e. to fit the British loading guage), there is no good reason why their performance on high-speed track should be diminshed, any more than there was for the first generation of Eurostar trains.<br /><br />I agree that upgrading conventional lines to the continental loading guage would be an expensive project. It is much more likely that trains will be built to fit the tracks rather than the other way round.Simon Titleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04121239127665359267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277746591174465580.post-9516653852526052922013-01-30T12:37:38.481+00:002013-01-30T12:37:38.481+00:00"In all cases, high-speed trains can operate ..."In all cases, high-speed trains can operate both on dedicated high-speed track and at reduced speeds on conventional railway lines, enabling many destinations beyond the high-speed lines to be served."<br /><br />While that's true, it's less true in Britain than in other countries. The loading gauge (the widest train that can fit through the tunnels and cuttings) in the UK is much smaller than most of Europe, and HSTs are built to the GB+ gauge that is standard in Europe.<br /><br />The intention is to run "conventional-compatible" trains over HS2 to destinations on the WCML and ECML that are not on the main network. These will be slower than the full-size HSTs when on HS2, but will be able to go onto conventional track - destinations serviced this way will include Liverpool, Holyhead and WCML/ECML trains to Scotland.<br /><br />In some areas, expanding the track to GB+ may be a relatively modest project - tracks could be moved apart where the corridor is wide enough, but if there are buildings close to the line, or cuttings or tunnels then it could be very expensive, and some bridges or viaducts may not be wide enough. One example is Liverpool, where the Edge Hill cutting would have to be widened, which would be really expensive.<br />Richard Gadsdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10545595590359552775noreply@blogger.com