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Re:A Look at HS2's Old Oak Common Station by heavenlyblue on Thursday August 22, 2019 @07:06AM (#20766710)
Probably because “20 minutes from central London” is too short even for high-speed trains to reach any cheap farmland.

That’s like... Croydon distance from London Bridge?

Re:A Look at HS2's Old Oak Common Station by petercooper on Thursday August 22, 2019 @07:32AM (#20766902)
So this thread got me thinking about the practicalities.. the HS1 speed to Ebbsfleet (25 miles out of London and outside the M25) is 18 minutes which includes a stop at Stratford.

HS2 is designed to run a little faster and if you nixed the stop I think 30-35 miles could realistically be 20 minutes out of London on HS2. That sticks you right in the middle of the Chilterns if you follow HS2's rough direction.. probably not ideal for a town.

Add another 5 minutes, though, and there's a lot of open land just south-east of Oxford and just off of the M40 too..

Re:A Look at HS2's Old Oak Common Station by tialaramex on Thursday August 22, 2019 @12:54PM (#20770090)
So you're correct that the Chilterns aren't ideal - those are dormitory villages, already very expensive, I grew up there.

The open land near Oxford will be open because it's a swamp. If you could build on it cheaply somebody would.