Professional Engineering

An insightful chat with one of the country’s most eminent railway engineers earlier this month presented the opportunity for a splendidly cathartic marathon moaning session. The main topic, among many, was why it is that Britain is so good at talking about large infrastructure projects, but does not perform so well when it actually comes to doing them. And the list of examples cited was endless. The Severn Barrage, for instance, is a project that is discussed, considered, and then rejected by the powers that be with almost metronomic regularity. Its time will come again.

High-speed rail also got more than a few mentions. The HS2 proposal for a new link between London and the Midlands, and eventually on to northern England and Scotland, was first mooted in early 2009, and much assessment work in terms of feasibility, route and business case has subsequently been carried out. The next step is public consultation, which is due to commence early in the new year. That process will be an opportunity for everyone with an interest to put forward their views. And that’s fair enough – it’s democracy in action. 

But there will be plenty of opposition to HS2, make no mistake. The expected route of the new line is to cut a swathe through the Chilterns, a well-heeled area of outstanding natural beauty. That has caused outrage, and there are already numerous well-organised opposition groups readying to have their say.

The problem is if you try to plot any route for a new high-speed line between London and Birmingham, it will be similarly dotted with hotspots of local opposition. It’s the price we pay for living in a pleasant country with a dense population. But if we really want and need extra capacity on the rail network, then someone, somewhere is going to have to have the new line built in their back yard. That might sound harsh, but it’s true nonetheless.

Then there are the financial obstacles that will need to be overcome. You only have to look at the tortuously slow progress that Crossrail– more than 20 years in the making – has made to get it to a point where no major tunnelling activity has taken place. And that was during a lengthy period of relative financial stability. HS2 will be an equally expensive project, so you can quite see how construction costs could hold it up for many years to come. 

There is a fear, then, that HS2 will become another great British talking point, rather than an actual engineering project. It’s a piece of national infrastructure that most people agree the country needs, and most people want to see built. There’s even been cross-party political support for it. Yet you get the feeling that we will still be discussing HS2, rather than using it, in 20 years time.

That would be a terrible shame and a wasted opportunity, especially as other countries in Europe and the Far East are forging ahead with their own high-speed rail developments. Our penchant for talking, not doing, is seeing us get left behind again.

Festive reading

As this is the last issue of PE before the festivities begin, I’d like to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. I’d also like to remind readers that our website will continue to be updated on a regular basis throughout December and across the traditional period of business shutdown. So don’t forget to log-on during periods of bored – sorry, restful – slumber to get your fix of engineering-related news and views.