Sheffield train electrification cancellation hidden by tories.

[Martin C]

Getting very bored of pss60's ongoing party political broadcasts (and insults directed at "non-believers") - these certainly compare very badly with some of the more rational and well-informed posts on this subject.

[pss60]

Getting very bored of pss60's ongoing party political broadcasts (and insults directed at "non-believers") - these certainly compare very badly with some of the more rational and well-informed posts on this subject.

Not half as bored as I am with the cap doffers who seem to think its okay for a Government to spend five years promising a long-overdue electrification, only to scrap it and hide that decision to do so until the General Election is out of the way. It looks like you've joined those cap doffers.

[BigAl1]

:ok you can

Other countries also have a mix of electrification voltages, but they've electrified far more of their lines than what we have. People, particularly the postwar baby boomer generation and the pensioner population back when they were at work, have only been interested in tax cuts or their pensions and little else over the last 35 years, and that is why we've got inferior infrastructure.

 

---------- Post added 24-04-2018 at 14:41 ----------

 

The electrification should have been rolling from the 1980s onwards. We have had the Tories in office for 26 of the last 39 years with sod all positive to show for it, in case you haven't noticed, but people were only interested in tax cuts or the next privatisation and little else. And yes, electrification crews did retire over the years with nobody to replace them and learn their skills.

 

I am sorry but your political biases are getting in the way of simple facts. Sure the Tories could have electrified the line but so could the Labour Party if they had so wished - they didn't and were more intent on nationalisation which they also failed to deliver. The current situation is indeed farcical with Network rail (created by the Labour Party) in such poor shape that no one in their right mind would dream of giving them a contract to electrify the line look at the mess on the Graet Western and indeed our own little experiment to Rotherham.

 

Imagine what the Labour Party would say if we bought in the expertise of foreign railways who seem to be able to carry out electrification more effieiciently and cheaper to deliver the project

[dutch]

Not half as bored as I am with the cap doffers who seem to think its okay for a Government to spend five years promising a long-overdue electrification, only to scrap it and hide that decision to do so until the General Election is out of the way. It looks like you've joined those cap doffers.

 

If it is so easy to scrap something why don't they scrap brexit? The money they save doing that would pay for electrification.

[Annie Bynnol]

:ok you can

 

I am sorry but your political biases are getting in the way of simple facts. Sure the Tories could have electrified the line but so could the Labour Party if they had so wished - they didn't and were more intent on nationalisation which they also failed to deliver. The current situation is indeed farcical with Network rail (created by the Labour Party) in such poor shape that no one in their right mind would dream of giving them a contract to electrify the line look at the mess on the Graet Western and indeed our own little experiment to Rotherham.

 

Imagine what the Labour Party would say if we bought in the expertise of foreign railways who seem to be able to carry out electrification more effieiciently and cheaper to deliver the project

 

When travelling south of Leicester on the train to London you can see a very expensive Electricity Supply Point being built that was designed to provide the juice for main line. It will be completed soon, but it won't have a main line to supply- just a branch line 5 miles away.

 

It is very true that any Government could have electrified the line over the last 80 years- but only one has promised, started and cancelled. Only one did not tell the voters it had already cancelled.

 

I am sorry that in your political bias you have forgotten that it is the National Audit Office that is making the point that the Conservative Party failed to tell the public during the Election in 2017 that it had already cancelled electrification to Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and Leicester.

 

The Conservative Party Manifesto of 2015 contained the promise of completion of the MML electrification north of Bedford. No other party has said that.

 

The Conservative Government reviewed, delayed, reinstated, reviewed, delayed and reinstated the project.

 

As promised Conservative Government began completion of MML electrification north of Bedford with the planning and completion of infrastructure work such as new bridges, track and signalling. Substations and wiring started.

 

The Conservative Governments Treasury told the Conservative Governments Departments for Transport to cancel further electrification before the 2017 election.

 

The point of the thread is that the Conservative Party did not disclose this cancellation to the voters during the 2017 election.

 

Neither has the Conservative Government told the public that because of theses decisions, journey times from Sheffield to the south will increase significantly or that any trains have been designed or ordered to replace what will be the oldest train fleet on the British mainline.

[nikki-red]

The personal comments end here. If you cant have a discussion without resorting to insults then its better that you refrain from posting.

 

Any further and you may find your accounts suspended.

[pss60]

If it is so easy to scrap something why don't they scrap brexit? The money they save doing that would pay for electrification.

Scrapping Brexit would pay for Midland Mainline electrification plus HS2 (with extensions to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and Liverpool), 3, 4 and 5. That tells us what Brexit will cost.

 

---------- Post added 08-05-2018 at 16:13 ----------

 

When travelling south of Leicester on the train to London you can see a very expensive Electricity Supply Point being built that was designed to provide the juice for main line. It will be completed soon, but it won't have a main line to supply- just a branch line 5 miles away.

 

It is very true that any Government could have electrified the line over the last 80 years- but only one has promised, started and cancelled. Only one did not tell the voters it had already cancelled.

 

I am sorry that in your political bias you have forgotten that it is the National Audit Office that is making the point that the Conservative Party failed to tell the public during the Election in 2017 that it had already cancelled electrification to Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and Leicester.

 

The Conservative Party Manifesto of 2015 contained the promise of completion of the MML electrification north of Bedford. No other party has said that.

 

The Conservative Government reviewed, delayed, reinstated, reviewed, delayed and reinstated the project.

 

As promised Conservative Government began completion of MML electrification north of Bedford with the planning and completion of infrastructure work such as new bridges, track and signalling. Substations and wiring started.

 

The Conservative Governments Treasury told the Conservative Governments Departments for Transport to cancel further electrification before the 2017 election.

 

The point of the thread is that the Conservative Party did not disclose this cancellation to the voters during the 2017 election.

 

Neither has the Conservative Government told the public that because of theses decisions, journey times from Sheffield to the south will increase significantly or that any trains have been designed or ordered to replace what will be the oldest train fleet on the British mainline.

 

Yes, broken promises are worse than no promises at all, especially when this was decided three months before Polling Day but delayed until a month after. Labour don't get a free pass from me because they had 13 years to deliver Midland Mainline electrification, but the Tories have had the other 26 years out of the past 39 years to do it. Moreso, Tory privatisation stopped further electrifications that should have followed on from completion of the East Coast Main Line, but it still doesn't excuse Labour under Blair and Brown. What this country should be aiming for, as well as HS2, is Midland Mainline electrification completed to Leeds and Doncaster, then Derby-Birmingham and Birmingham-Bristol electrified, Bristol-Exeter-Plymouth and Newbury-Exeter.

Edited May 8, 2018 by pss60