Rail fail: The wait for High Speed 2 continues...

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE: £1 FOR 3 MONTHS]( March 10, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Mobility enhances lives, socially and economically, which is why humanity is hardwired to create pathways across land, water and (for the past 120 years) sky. The densely populated UK depends on decent transport. So why is HS2 taking so long? Distant dream: a 2017 depiction of a transformed Leeds station once the eastern leg of HS2 arrives. That plan was scrapped in 2021 (Leeds Station Board)   [Get inspired...]( Secret Balearics]( An insider’s guide to lesser-known [Menorca and Formentera]( [I'm an image]( [Lisbon hotels]( Discover the [best places to stay]( on a trip to Portugal's charming capital [I'm an image]( Culture on the Continent]( Five cultural [European city break destinations]( you might not have considered   Simon’s dispatches Mass mechanised mobility began in 1825 with the world's first steam-powered passenger trains running on George Stephenson’s Stockton & Darlington Railway (I am looking forward to the bicentenary celebrations). Rail literally provided the heavy lifting for Britain’s industrial revolution; trains were harnessed by a Victorian visionary, [Thomas Cook](, to expand the horizons of humanity like never before; and the latest grand projects for high-speed rail in Egypt, China and California will use the same gauge as Stephenson’s pioneering track in County Durham. Reading last night's [Department for Transport press release]( on [High Speed 2]( (HS2), you might conclude that the UK’s pioneering spirit knows no bounds. The Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, rightly says investment in rail is “a down payment on the country’s future”. The Government says £40bn will be invested in “transformational transport schemes over the next two financial years across the country, helping to level up local communities”. The reality is that HS2 – a project so old that it was conceived under a Labour administration – [is suffering death by a thousand cuts](. The planned Y-shaped network, with a central spine from London splitting at Birmingham to reach Leeds to the east and Manchester to the west, [shrank alarmingly under the last-but-one Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps](. He trashed the economic fundamentals for HS2 – which were dependent on the eastern leg to Yorkshire – and claimed, with a straight face, that the smart new way to reach Leeds from London would be to catch a train to Manchester that would then reverse and travel across the Pennines to the West Yorkshire city. Last year a spur designed to link HS2 to the West Coast main line northwest of Manchester was axed, slowing trains to and from Scotland. Now even the original London-Birmingham stretch, due in 2026, has been deferred until the “early 2030s” and will initially open with a Ryanair-like twist: the capital's trains will start and end at [a forlorn corner of west London known as Old Oak Common](. The line from Euston to Manchester has been indefinitely delayed. Some whose lives have been adversely affected by HS2 will celebrate. England's environment, they avow, is being wrecked so that people can reach Birmingham 20 minutes quicker. Yet High Speed 2 was never about speed; the aim is to deliver a vast amount of new capacity. Our current rail network comprises largely what the Victorians bequeathed minus all the lines that were closed by the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Trying to run express trains at 125mph alongside local, commuter and freight services is a recipe for unreliability. The solution: a fresh network for north-south intercity trains. Those who believe the nation desperately needs more capacity to create a rational transport network will take heart from Labour's pledge, if elected, to build HS2 as originally envisioned. The nation will be watching.   From 12 March, our Travel newsletter is expanding to include a second edition focused on the best travel deals and tips, which will be sent every Sunday. If you do not want to receive the Travel newsletter twice weekly, please opt-out by [clicking here](list_name=IND_Travel_Newsletter_CDP). Please note this will unsubscribe you from the main newsletter too.   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](.   Tip of the week: Luton airport shuttle opens today The “soft opening” of [Luton airport’s Direct Air-Rail Transit (Dart)]( – connecting the terminal with Luton Airport Parkway rail station – is expected to begin later today. Passengers will be able to board the 1.3-mile “automated people mover” link between 2 and 7pm daily. By the end of March, officials hope the system will be operating around the clock – meeting demand from holidaymakers on Easter breaks. Initially the cost will be the same as the existing bus shuttle: £2.40 each way. But when it fully opens, the fare more than doubles to £4.90. [East Midlands Railway](, which will provide the Luton Airport Express service as part of its normal network from London via Luton to Bedford and Corby, says at least 25 per cent of Advance tickets between the capital and the airport will be sold at £10 one way or less – including the Dart portion of the journey. [The full story on the Luton airport Dart]( Deal of the week: Dublin for £30 return Reports of the death of very cheap air fares are premature. Between [Manchester]( and [Dublin](, for example, the lowest fare on [Ryanair]( is £30 return. Seats are available at this price outbound on Thursday 20 April, back on Tuesday 25 April. Similar fares from other airports in Great Britain are available. [Spend a day in Dublin's coolest neighbourhood, The Liberties](   Question of the week: Best currency to take to Barbados? Q I am going to Barbados, where I understand Barbadian dollars and US dollars are both acceptable. The rate for the B$ looks much better against the pound than the US$. So should I go for Barbadian currency? A This morning £1 buys B$2.17 online at the Post Office. The rate for the US dollar is $1.12. But there is a catch. The Barbadian dollar is locked to the American dollar at a rate of B$2=US$1. So were you to opt for the currency of your destination, you would get an effective rate of only US$1.08 for each of your hard-earned pounds. [Four unusual ways to discover Barbados]( Traders on the island don't mind whether you settle a B$20 bill with local banknotes to that value, or use an American 10-dollar note instead. So you can arrive with a fistful of US dollars knowing that they will be accepted everywhere. Change from businesses will be returned in either American or Barbadian currency, or perhaps both. Unless you want to keep a Barbadian note or two as a souvenir, do not leave the island with any local dollars. US dollars are welcomed everywhere on earth; currency from a small Caribbean island is not. [Simon Calder's guide to stretching your holiday money further]( STAT OF THE WEEK 6 Decades since passenger trains served Ashington on the Northumberland coast; [the restored railway will open in 2024](, with a journey time of 35 minutes from Newcastle. What you might have missed... - Off-track: [The latest on the next wave of rail strikes, which begins on Thursday]( - Hancock fired: [The former Health Secretary has had his invitation to speak at travel industry conference torn up](//link.e.independent.co.uk/click/30790422.10388/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvdHJhdmVsL25ld3MtYW5kLWFkdmljZS9ibHVlLWFpci1yb21hbmlhLWZsaWdodHMtc3VzcGVuZGVkLWIyMTYxNTY1Lmh0bWw/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B9237c8ac - Fly and flop: Owl stows away on cruise ship for two weeks]( SIMON'S DIARY Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( [INDYBEST]( / [TRAVEL BEST BUY]( [13 best women’s snow boots to keep feet warm and dry this winter]( Ski holiday or weekend walk on the cards? It's about time you invest in a decent [waterproof jacket]( and some[snow boots]( for yourself and your [kids](. 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