MAP: Government announces route of high-speed rail link (HS2) through Staffordshire

“Maglev has huge issues, notably around the potentially harmful magnetic fields that are emitted by them, similar to those in pylons. You can't delay technology because it might get better.

Everyone is still missing the point that we need extra capacity, this cannot be added to the current line therefore a new line is required.”

“The reason its not stopping as said on Radio Stoke was that Pervez has it on authority as "we is a Labour Council", wrong!!! You and the Labour Council are D**KHEADS, stop politicising every thing when it suits. You are at worst Pervez a talented idiot, at best you are borderline DIM. Both the Labour Party and the electorate in Stoke have to get it right somehow starting with the expulsion of Pervez and the surfer boy Laughing Stock. Some clown on the letters page suggested Coates, Caudwell and some JCB operator as replacements, we want improvement not regression. There are too many Tory twits in positions that don't quite fit in this country. Caudwell?? car salesman done good. Right place, right time, still a clown.”

“Numpty, the reasons we're not having monorails or maglevs are because they're ridiculously expensive (even compared with HS2) and you can't run maglev trains on conventional railways, while you can with high speed rail.”

“Its makes very little sense to have a station near junction 16. Can anyone honestly say that they'll drive or catch a train there to use the high speed services?

Crewe is not having, nor needs a dedicated station, because the new junction south of Crewe will allow services to run on the current lines from Crewe as well as places like Liverpool, Warrington and North Wales before switching to the high speed line. Similar services run on the old lines in the South East before running on High Speed 1.

Stoke, similarly, does not need a dedicated station, because services could run as they do from Stoke, through Stafford, then switching at Lichfield to phase one of High Speed 2.”

“It will be more than 20 years before its operational,surely technology in that time will see major advances thus leaving rail transport outdated. Overhead rail using magnetic field comes to mind no polution and speeds in access of those predicted.This system the japanese are trying as future method of transport.No noisy trains down tracks that need constant maintence .plus no rail crossings.”

“A few weeks back Perez was saying how he was going to get a Billion pounds off the goverment to make the us the business capital of Europe. So it seems crazy that they are going to miss Hanley-on-Trent out?”

“I thought the country had no money. If we have money for this, then we have money for the NHS and the police service, or is it only big business rather than the ordinary person that matters?”

“Stoke-on-dump is not a major city. The idea of a high speed service is to get from one part of the country to another. If the service had to stop at each city on route or pass through a lot of cities on route it would not be a high speed service. Anyway who wants to come to Stoke nowadays it's just a run down eyesore with low payed workers. ( probably firms that want to make money by employing them )”

“@hasod
Having just spent 2 weeks travelling around Japan, I can assure you the Shinkansen is a LOT faster than Virgin. My longest trips were Nagoya to Tokyo( 220 miles), and Nagoya to Hiroshima(310 miles). As regards understanding the staff, I found them only to willing to help and very good english. The trains were spotless and arrived on time, every time. When i went to Tokyo to meet my Japanese freinds there, and asked for directions,one the staff actually took me to the right exit.”

“HS2 will do little for Britain after it is completed as we shall still need 'New' Industries to create Jobs and Wealth. In no way will HS2 provide this and where our politicians are blind again as usual

The HS2 project is another government think-through that will provide little for the people of the UK in the long-term. Indeed the Taxpayer's Alliance for one respected group has already stated that it will simply be a 'white elephant'. The £32.7 billion project will no doubt have at least doubled or trebled by the time that it is eventually completed. I am sure that the new entrants to the EU, Romania and Bulgaria together with the rest of Europe's unemployed will come in droves to build it and where as usual, British workers will be in the minority and therefore our people will benefit little. What we need is a long-term economic strategy that is based on developing the most high-tech nation in the world. If politicians did this and we eventually became the manufacturing centre of the world again, they would be talking sense at long last. In this respect the only development that will produce this future dynamic economic effect and give our children a realistic future is the £17 billion ORE-STEM Complex, half the cost of HS2. At least then on completion we would lead the world again in innovation and high tech manufacturing. All that HS2 will do is to put taxpayer's money into the pockets of the few again, may save 20 minutes from London to Birmingham and 50 minutes from London to Leeds and provide jobs for EU migrant workers. So what are we doing it for as after it is completed we shall still need the industries for jobs and wealth, or respectfully does government think that the people of the UK will just travel up and down the finished HS2 railway line? The ORE-STEM Complex is the only street in town if only politicians would look at the transforming effects that this complex would have for Britain's future economy.

Dr David Hill
World Innovation Foundation”