Chaos And Confusion In California
This sounds like particularly good news for the sir-travelling American folk as the nation and its inhabitants wrestle with the challenge of global warming, cheap oil, pollution, air quality and international pressure to save a bit of the planet.
Although six train sets to serve the massive mega cities of the USA west coast doesn’t seem a lot, on sober reflection.
Equally sobering is a timeline of the plans.
1996 – A Proposal!
CHSRA formed to build the line.
1996 to 2000 – Good plan; full study begins
2005 – Implementation plan for 8 ro 10 year project. Ludicrously optimistic!
2008 – put to a vote of California people
2009 – support from President Obama
2011 – unease grows!
2012 – initial work to start
2013 – contracts for part of the first section (Madera to Fresno) signed
2014 – second contract signed
2015 – digging starts
So a look at the maps. This is where its at, man!
In the diagrams below hase 1 is in blue, phase 2 in yellow as here at the Frisco end.
… and to the city of angels and beyond.
But it is the bit in the middle where work is in progress.
2016 to 2017 – work continues but opposition grows.
2018 – Damning report on the finances of the project
2019 February – California governor curtails scope of the line. Mainly the middle but.
2019 May – President Trump cuts federal funding drastically
2019 July – CHRSA (remember?) remains positive
2020 – CHSRA announces that 5000 construction jobs have been created
2021 – CHSRA announces that the money stopped by Trump is now available
2022 – Good progress but with vocal opposition.
2023 – The Video
All this for six trainsets?
Hmmm? One US commentator concludes …
… which leads neatly into the next headline!
How Is UK’s HS2 Going?
Just published are artists’ impressions of the massive Old Oak Common interchange.
Here HS2 will interchange with GWR and the Elizabeth Line line – but other nearby stations are proposed or possible. It is the HS2 bit that is illustrated.
Looking out via the entrance
The “footbridge” (like Reading but bigger)
And seen from outside
Looks much more impressive than Euston might – or might not!!
When Men Were Men And Trains Were Trains …
… and nobody had invented Global Warming to scare us all. Oil fired and up hill!
It’s All In Line But Don’t Believe It!
Buckton Fields is a new block of housing that fills in a site between the Welford Road and the Harborough Road to the north of Northampton. Here is the full plan …
… and below a map of the early stages …
… and even earlier stages c/o Google Earth!
In an ideal world ruled by common sense and a desire to promote bus travel rather than clogging the town up with cars, you would expect a bus service to be in place and operating early to encourage those that move in to be “green”.
One obvious way would have been to take a bus only link through from Stagecoach service 14 …
… and, indeed, there is a road off Acre Lane called Fair Mile …
… where, as we see blow …
… someone once had a similar idea. But nip round into Buckton Fields itself and all you get is a very solid and impenetrable border – not even a footpath to route 14.
It is called “planning”!
But never mind, eh? The internet has the answer.
A couple of phrases have been given a very new meaning by the anonymous author of this little nugget of (un)helpfulness. One is well linked and the other is several.
On the very east of the site is Stagecoach’s hourly X7 …
… with no convenient stop between Whitehills and Boughton turn which might offer a well linked route into the town.
On the Welford Road, things are less amenable to bus travel.
Well linked with one journey into town?
Traveline thinks UNO operates route 60 …
… but UNO is not so sure!
Depending on where you look, however, you can eventually find the timetable
But there is a P.S. Neither the internet extract nor Stagecoach’s network map reveal,
shock horror, that service 14 is actually extended to “Buckton Fields” …
… but Stagecoach is keeping it a closely guarded secret.
Where it goes, nobody knows!
So much so that Traveline doesn’t think it goes there at all! It just shows the traditional route round the Acre Lane loop.
Now, if we had a proper public transport system, as in Cherbourg for example, we might just be able to find out how to get to or from Buckton Fields.
More stuff tomorrow …
THE USUAL WARNING
Sunday and Monday are the fbb’s monthly fellowship meetings. Blogs may need to be reduced in scope on Monday and Tuesday due to fatigue and a slight touch of associated insanity.
Next Variety blog : Monday 4th September
