I digress from historical fiction to consider HS2 which is in the news today. The Sun has reported that the line may be terminated at Old Oak Common rather than Euston. Passengers would have to complete their journey to “Central London” via the Elizabeth Line. Euston is quite convenient for the British Library, but it’s not my favourite destination (Euston that is, I love the British Library). If you’re heading to the theatre, or to do some shopping, you won’t whoop with joy that you’ve arrived in Euston. Instead you’ll be taking the underground, a bus, a taxi, or walking to your final Central London destination. One of the major problems with terminating HS2 services at Euston is dispersing the arriving passengers. The underground network at Euston is already stretched. It would probably require a new Elizabeth Line (Charles Line perhaps?), Crossrail 2, to properly connect a Euston HS2 station to “Central London”. Now there are many good reasons to do just that. Crossrail 2 would bring many benefits.
However, Old Oak Common will not be some second rate destination. It will be the largest and best connected new station ever built in the UK. It is a hub for the regeneration of the surrounding area. I have long wondered why I would want to hurtle down from the north on HS2, stop at Old Oak Common, which will be connected to the Elizabeth Line and the Great Western Mainline, only to continue my journey through a tunnel under London, to Euston. But there is a problem. Old Oak Common is constrained in width. It works well as a through line station, but not as a terminus. Euston is designed as a terminus. Removing it severely constrains the number of trains HS2 can run into and out of London.
HS2 itself causes some disagreement in the West household. Claire isn’t a fan, to put it mildly. She loves trees, and who in their right mind doesn’t? So when HS2 carves its way through ancient woodland, she doesn’t like it. I sympathise. Rail is about the most environmentally friendly form of mass transport around. We desperately need more north-south rail capacity. The West Coast and East Coast mainlines are pretty full. HS2 will provide that much needed additional capacity. But I wonder how absolutely vital the speed is. What if it did slow down a little to curve around an ancient woodland? The problem is that it is seen to compete with airlines, that’s why speed matters.