Extracted from (£):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/10/14/nationalisation-proponent-john-mcdonnell-backs-private-rail/

The shadow chancellor, an ardent campaigner to nationalise the railways,
has been branded a “hypocrite� after publicly backing an ambitious £1.6bn
privatisation of train tracks and infrastructure.

John McDonnell said a groundbreaking proposal to privately fund and build
tracks between Heathrow and the South West “could be the solution�,
according to marketing material seen by the Telegraph.

The Heathrow Southern Railway (HSR) is one of five proposals under a
landmark initiative announced by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling earlier
this year. The Government is inviting private investors to develop specific
parts of the country’s rail network.

Backed by Baroness Valentine, the HSR would link Heathrow with fast trains
to Basingstoke, Reading and the Birmingham through a connection to the
future HS2 station at Old Oak Common. Journeys between Woking and Heathrow
could take just 16 minutes.

Labour’s 2017 manifesto had a pledge to bring all private rail companies
back under public ownership as franchises expired, a process that in some
circumstances could take more than 10 years. Mr McDonnell, however, said
last month the renationalisation could be usher through more quickly and
completed with five years.

However, in a bizarre endorsement of what would be the privatisation of
rail infrastructure – currently operated by publicly owned Network Rail –
Mr McDonnell was recently filmed at Westminster backing HSR’s proposals.

He said: “The lack of transport links [to Heathrow] results in large
numbers of people still coming in not by public transport but by car.
That’s not just passengers – it’s the huge workforce… What I’m interested
in is just the potential that there is for a solution to that problem and I
think this could be the solution.�

Conservative Huw Merriman, a member of the Commons transport committee,
said: “The shadow chancellor seeks to deny new private sector-led railways
for the many in the UK, while campaigning for it for the few who happen to
live in his backyard. This new low in political hypocrisy is made worse by
the shadow chancellor also opposing the aviation expansion at Heathrow,
which could make the difference in delivering his new rail project.�

On 15/10/18 11:07, Recliner wrote:
Extracted from (£):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/10/14/nationalisation-proponent-john-mcdonnell-backs-private-rail/
Backed by Baroness Valentine, the HSR would link Heathrow with fast trains
to Basingstoke, Reading and the Birmingham through a connection to the
future HS2 station at Old Oak Common. Journeys between Woking and Heathrow
could take just 16 minutes.

So is the new track going to Woking, to Reading or duplicating the
existing line to OOC? They all seem to lie in different directions.

In message , at 11:45:09 on Mon, 15 Oct
2018, Certes remarked:
On 15/10/18 11:07, Recliner wrote:
Extracted from (£):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business...isation-propon
ent-john-mcdonnell-backs-private-rail/

Paywall!

Backed by Baroness Valentine, the HSR would link Heathrow with fast trains
to Basingstoke, Reading and the Birmingham through a connection to the
future HS2 station at Old Oak Common. Journeys between Woking and Heathrow
could take just 16 minutes.

So is the new track going to Woking, to Reading or duplicating the
existing line to OOC? They all seem to lie in different directions.

The new track is only going as far beyond Heathrow as required to
connect to existing lines:

https://heathrowrail.com/proposed-route/

I have no idea how they think it'll get people from Woking to Heathrow
in 16 minutes, when Woking to Chertsey is 31 minutes over the existing
track it will be using.
--
Roland Perry

Certes wrote:
On 15/10/18 11:07, Recliner wrote:
Extracted from (£):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/10/14/nationalisation-proponent-john-mcdonnell-backs-private-rail/
Backed by Baroness Valentine, the HSR would link Heathrow with fast trains
to Basingstoke, Reading and the Birmingham through a connection to the
future HS2 station at Old Oak Common. Journeys between Woking and Heathrow
could take just 16 minutes.

So is the new track going to Woking, to Reading or duplicating the
existing line to OOC? They all seem to lie in different directions.


https://heathrowrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/HSR_Brochure_Web.pdf

On 15/10/18 12:55, Recliner wrote:
Certes wrote:
On 15/10/18 11:07, Recliner wrote:
Extracted from (£):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/10/14/nationalisation-proponent-john-mcdonnell-backs-private-rail/
Backed by Baroness Valentine, the HSR would link Heathrow with fast trains
to Basingstoke, Reading and the Birmingham through a connection to the
future HS2 station at Old Oak Common. Journeys between Woking and Heathrow
could take just 16 minutes.

So is the new track going to Woking, to Reading or duplicating the
existing line to OOC? They all seem to lie in different directions.

https://heathrowrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/HSR_Brochure_Web.pdf

Thank you. So, two new bits of track: Langley-T5 for a Reading-Heathrow
service, and Chertsey-T5 for (Basingstoke or Guildford)-Woking-Heathrow-
OOC-Paddington services, with a chord for a Waterloo-Staines-Heathrow
service. That all sounds very sensible if the money can be found and
the trains fitted in amongst existing traffic on those lines.

"Recliner" wrote in message
news
Certes wrote:
On 15/10/18 11:07, Recliner wrote:
Extracted from (£):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/10/14/nationalisation-proponent-john-mcdonnell-backs-private-rail/
Backed by Baroness Valentine, the HSR would link Heathrow with fast
trains
to Basingstoke, Reading and the Birmingham through a connection to the
future HS2 station at Old Oak Common. Journeys between Woking and
Heathrow
could take just 16 minutes.

So is the new track going to Woking, to Reading or duplicating the
existing line to OOC? They all seem to lie in different directions.


https://heathrowrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/HSR_Brochure_Web.pdf

So just this week's rehash of a 38 year old proposal that HMG continually
fails to find funding for.

And yep I do know that it's (more or less) 38 years old as it was first(?)
proposed when I was in my first year of work spitting distance away from
(one of) the proposed routes and we all looked forward to being able to use
it.

Some form of it was twice promised at planning enquiries by LHR Ltd as
"payment" for being allowed to expand and twice LHR Ltd reneged on that
promise.

As some of you know, I am now retired

tim