Quote:
Originally Posted by Osem
Damien I'm sure it's going to be wonderful but do you think it'll ever be and/or remain affordable to ordinary people?
|
I don't really know who 'ordinary' people are. If we presume they infrequent travellers then a one-off cost isn't especially expensive, if they are frequent travellers for business then they should be able to afford it, if they are frequent commuters then they need to revise where they live. The high speed network should encourage businesses to set up outside London.
I just did a comparison for the HS1 line, London to Ashford.
A single from Ashford International to London Victoria, normal train service, which takes 1 hour 20 minutes is £25.40.
A single from Ashford International to London St Pancras, the HS1 service, which takes 38 minutes is £30.40.
I said I was leaving today and did both a single and a return and the prices stay about the same. Try it out:
http://www.thetrainline.com. Of course we can only speculate into the price of the new London to Birmingham HS2 line but the evidence from our only existing high speed line suggests that the cost isn't as prohibitive as being suggested.
More importantly we should connect up the country as best we can. A national high speed system could eventually mean that there is nowhere in the UK where a return journey cannot be done with a day. A fantastic prospect for businesses and tourists.