HS2 - Old Oak Common

[LucaZone]

This is sparked by a graphic in what some like to call 'Liar' but bear with me, as I think its an interesting discussion.

Rails current issue (640) has a graphic of a proposed layout for an Old Oak Common interchange between GWML and HS2, positioned directly opposite the North Pole building.

Now, the interesting aspects for me are:

• The HS2 portion is ontop of the existing FGW HST sheds and sidings, completely avoiding the now empty ex-EWS area to the north.
  • Didnt they just close the EWS part of OOC to make way 'possibly' for Crossrail?
  • Is there anything stopping the HST depot moving to the North Pole site? Would that supply enough capacity
  • Would it be an issue to transfer the HEx and Connect fleets to the other part of the North Pole site, the other side of the NNL bridge to the east?
• The GWML portion consists of platforms on all lines to and from Paddington.
  • Is ANY ever going to stop on the fast lines, 2 miles outside Paddington? Surely there should be no platforms on the fast lines that close to Paddington.
  • Platforms on the slow lines make sense, just like the moderate use of Acton Mainline a be further along.
  • OK, so if someone coming from Reading way, wants HS2, they would have to go into Paddington and back out to change at OOC, but is that really a problem?

 

[A60K]

I can see the sense in fast trains stopping at OOC, both for Crossrail and HS2 interchange. This is a mirror image of Stratford, where most trains on the GEML stop now compared to only a handful 20 years ago.

It's all very well spending billions of pounds on speeding up long-distance services, but the key factor for the passenger is their door-to-door time. If you can knock 20 minutes off of that by adding stops, increasing frequencies, building new stations and improving interchanges that's quite often much better value for money.

 

[LE Greys]

Weren't they thinking of terminating HS2 at Old Oak at one point? That's about six miles from Charing Cross (usual London measuring point). That would be almost as daft as terminating all trains at Birmingham International instead of New Street.

 

[Geezertronic]

Weren't they thinking of terminating HS2 at Old Oak at one point? That's about six miles from Charing Cross (usual London measuring point). That would be almost as daft as terminating all trains at Birmingham International instead of New Street.

Or as daft as actually running HS2 into Birmingham International or Birmingham New Street - imagine HS2 through trains crawling through New Street at the permitted line speed

 

[LE Greys]

Or as daft as actually running HS2 into Birmingham International or Birmingham New Street - imagine HS2 through trains crawling through New Street at the permitted line speed

You should see TGVs crawling into Geneva Gare at line speed. Still, it's not as bad as sitting in the queue to take off from Heathrow for half-an-hour with engines idling, drinking fuel.