Much to the anti Hs2 campaign’s chagrin, Twitter sees the #hs2 hash tag trending in Sheffield. This is nothing to do with them of course (their one attempt to get stophs2 trending was an embarrassing failure). It’s because there’s a public meeting to discuss the best location for the future station. Hs2 Ltd & the government have proposed that it should be located a few miles North of the city centre at Meadhowhall, but there’s an active campaign (led by the local council & supported by local media) to have the station relocated in the city centre using the site of the old Sheffield Victoria station site.
Personally, I can see the pros & cons of both arguments so I’m not going to offer an opinion either way.
What I find refreshing is a campaign around Hs2 that’s overwhelmingly positive and looking to the future. It’s a marked contrast to the selfish anti Hs2 campaign which is all about maintaining the status quo for some people who live on the Hs2 route, plus the usual anti public investment interventions from the likes of the right wing Taxpayers Alliance and the Institute of Economic affairs.
I’m sure it will be a fascinating discussion and I wish both sides well. You can follow it at the #hs2 hashtag on Twitter. Here’s a sample:
Paul Bigland 
Hi Paul,
Like yourself I can see the pros and cons of building the HS2 station at Meadow Hall, or in Sheffield City centre. I was wondering whether there would be any reason why stations can’t be built at both locations, so Meadow Hall effectively becomes a parkway station?
The main problem with a city centre station is the (relatively speaking) enormous capital cost of carving a pathway for the new lines through (or more likely under) a dense urban environment.
This barrier is a direct consequence of the legacy bequeathed by the UK’s gauge constraint. There are only two possible solutions – either serve a city centre location (permanently) using Classic Compatible rolling stock or build new (very expensive) lines, constructed to continental GC gauge standard, into a city centre station (which will in itself require major modification to accommodate “captive” High Speed rolling stock).
Compare and contrast the new TGV SEA under construction between Tours and Bordeaux with obstacles faced by HS2 planners attempting to connect Manchester into the High Speed rail revolution – in South East France the new rail line can finish several km short of the city centre and seamlessly link into the existing “classic” (European GC gauge compliant) network – sure, there will be significant new investment required at the existing Gare de Bordeaux-Saint-Jean but it’s peanuts compared with the near 12 km of deep bore tunnel required to link Manchester Piccadilly – see URL below for artists impression of the tunnel portal just beyond the planned Manchester Airport Station –
Click to access P2C60_Manchester%20Airport%20Station.pdf
from there it’s underground almost all the way into city centre Manchester until it emerges in Ardwick less than 1000m before entering a completely new (add on bit to the existing) Piccadilly terminus station – see URL below for city centre station details
Click to access P2C61_Manchester%20Piccadilly%20Station.pdf
That “final lap” deep bore link (absent from the TGV SEA construction budget), alone, probably adds another £2bn to the overall cost of HS2? Multiply that by the number of cities all clamouring for (eventual) direct connection into the High Speed rail network;
Liverpool
Leeds
Sheffield
Manchester
Leicester
Derby
Nottingham
Stoke
York
Newcastle
and you arrive at a very large sum indeed?