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News Wire: Company set to begin building UK's second high speed network

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Posted by Brian Schmidt on Monday, July 17, 2017 4:28 PM

LONDON — Construction contracts worth around $9 billion have been awarded by the British government owned company building a new 220-mph high speed rail line from London to Birmingham, England. Construction is expected to begin this year and se...

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/07/17-high-speed-england

Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine

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Posted by schlimm on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 10:25 AM

Too bad we did not spend even a small fraction of the $4.79 trillion (Brown Univ. study) to $6 trillion (Trump) we have spent on Iraq, Afghan, etc. 2001-16 for HSR here at home. 

C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan

RME
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Posted by RME on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 10:59 AM

schlimm
Too bad we did not spend even a small fraction of the $4.79 trillion (Brown Univ. study) to $6 trillion (Trump) we have spent on Iraq, Afghan, etc. 2001-16 for HSR here at home.

Or even a small fraction of the trillions that Obama and Biden claimed they were spending over two terms on HSR here at home.

(Hey, at least we spent billyuns and billyuns (thanks, Carl!) extravagantly rebuilding ripoff truck stops and tourist-trap interchanges on highways all across America thanks to their 'stimulus' efforts.)

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Posted by schlimm on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 10:01 PM

Obama's entire stimulus package was under $1 trillion, of which HSR was a small fraction. Even the conservative Heritage Foundation said he wanted to spend "hundreds of billions."  Contrast that with actually spending $4.79 to 6 trillion on pointless Mideast wars, for which we have little to show.

C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan

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Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 11:48 PM

Geez Schlimm you sound like your President! Whodda thunk that. 

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Posted by schlimm on Thursday, July 20, 2017 7:49 AM

Miningman

Geez Schlimm you sound like your President! Whodda thunk that. 

 

It's not politics.  Two senseless wars that cost blood and treasure and accomplished nothing positive.

C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan

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Posted by ROBERT WILLISON on Thursday, July 20, 2017 9:29 AM

+ 1

 

 

 

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Posted by 54light15 on Thursday, July 20, 2017 5:10 PM

The biggest tragedy is this. Building HS2 will involve demolishing the Bree Louise, an awesome pub near Euston station in London. Every day is like a beer festival, the selection is that good. They have about 14 real-ale taps and more real-ale casks on stillage. What a place! So sue me, I'm a beer geek!  

RME
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Posted by RME on Thursday, July 20, 2017 5:11 PM

schlimm
It's not politics. Two senseless wars that cost blood and treasure and accomplished nothing positive.

If anything, less than something positive.

And to return to railfan-style train-chasing photography for a moment (to keep the rail element for a forum topic), this probably counts in the cost-of-blood department even though on a less wholesale scale; at least having seen it I'll never forget.

And this was only one of the two that hit it.

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Posted by Miningman on Thursday, July 20, 2017 5:46 PM

Yes I remember that well...it was shown extensively on news channels at the time but little information about casualties, whether that was a regular scheduled passenger train or any kind of follow up story.

Do you know any of these answers?  

I seem to recall it was reported that it was the bridge that was to be taken out and the train happened by at the exact right moment but that seems a bit of a stretch...maybe not. 

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