Jonathan Hibberd
@jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
620 followers 1.2K following 2.2K posts
Ukraine/Visegrád4/IR/European Studies/higher ed Rail/train stuff/architecture/planning/occasional football & rugby league
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jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
Like I've said twice already, you're an incredibly stupid person
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
It's a war between those 2 countries you absolute dumb fk
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
Candidate for dumbest tweet of the day here. Dear me...
sarkisz.bsky.social
Not really. How has arming Ukraine worked out for Ukraine?
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
This is what needs doing re Gatwick bsky.app/profile/jonn...
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
If Britain was a serious country for transport infrastructure:

-designate Gatwick the new runway/expanded airport
-build Crossrail 2, taking the suburban trains out of Waterloo station
-build a fast rail tunnel from East Croydon to Waterloo, enabling Gatwick to Central London in 20 minutes or less
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
All very well talking about new sleeper routes when it's a constant battle to keep the ones we have
seatsixtyone.bsky.social
The Stockholm-Hamburg/Berlin sleeper has been saved. RDC will take over when SJ pulls out. May not run on some winter nights in future though: www.berliner-zeitung.de/mensch-metro...
seatsixtyone.bsky.social
Breaking: SJ to discontinue successful Stockholm-Hamburg/Berlin sleeper train after 31 August 2026, a month after Swedish government subsidy ends.
Reposted by Jonathan Hibberd
darthputinkgb.bsky.social
We are extremely concerned Ukraine will be able to use on us the same type of weapons we've been using on them for 3 years and 8 months.

It isn't an escalation when we do it.
Reposted by Jonathan Hibberd
szabolcspanyi.bsky.social
💥Orbán-ally EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi told Ursula von der Leyen he was “not aware” of spying operations against EU institutions at Hungary’s Brussels EU mission, which he led for 4 years, per @politico.eu.

Here's our investigation into Hungarian espionage in 🇬🇧: www.direkt36.hu/en/sulyos-ug...
Reposted by Jonathan Hibberd
libdems.org.uk
As the EU’s new Entry/Exit Scheme finally rolls out, British businesses face further chaos — and it’s totally avoidable.

The Liberal Democrats are demanding urgent action to stop trade grinding to a halt.
Graphic showing a silhouetted person sitting at an airport with text quoting The Independent: ‘New EU border checks could cause four hour waits and cost UK economy £400m, industry warns.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
I have it on good authority that it is both. Plus there is no provision for an HS2-HS1 link whereas a WCML-HS1 link already exists.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
But there won't be capacity on HS2 for the extra trains
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
If HS2 was built in full, or at least Phase 2a, there would be spare capacity on the WCML. Because the politicians aborted Phase 2a, there will probably in fact be capacity problems on the WCML...
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
More relevant now probably to look at the Hitachi-Alstom 895s which will be 360km/h capable and classic UK line compatible.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
It was just an example that Hitachi trains are designed for higher speeds already. 390s are already more than 15 years old. Aurora is the most recent model.

The post was about running from north of London, so the Kent stops aren't the loading gauge issue.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
They have a slightly higher design speed than 200km/h. Even west coast Pendolinos in theory can do 250km/h. Javelins can do 225km/h. So I think higher speeds are feasible but not sure on the vagaries of a version that has to go 300km/h, if that's essential.

Only 2 Kent stops-Ashford and Ebbsfleet
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
Would it be that difficult to order a derivative of the Hitachi UK high speed train that could run through the tunnel and beyond? If you could, that model would still be feasible and a way to serve the Kent stops.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
I mean, this takes us back to the late 90s when Virgin wanted to rescue the NoL services and should've been allowed to (border controls during prolonged stop at Ashford). At the time Branson ran Cross Country and it would've complemented that perfectly. A ship that has long sailed.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
I mean, this takes us back to the late 90s when Virgin wanted to rescue the NoL services and should've been allowed to (border controls during prolonged stop at Ashford). At the time Branson ran Cross Country and it would've complemented that perfectly. A ship that has long sailed.
Reposted by Jonathan Hibberd
ukbastard.bsky.social
Hungary’s Orbán launches petition against EU defense policy, calls it a “war plans,” targets Ukraine support against Russia
While offering zero support to Kyiv, the pro-Russian Hungarian leader launched a nationwide petition to block EU military aid for Ukraine.

euromaidanpress.com/2025/10/12/h...
Hungary’s Orbán launches petition against EU defense policy, calls it a “war plans,” targets Ukraine support against Russia - Euromaidan Press
While offering zero support to Kyiv, the pro-Russian Hungarian leader launched a nationwide petition to block EU military aid for Ukraine.
euromaidanpress.com
Reposted by Jonathan Hibberd
bremaininspain.com
Zack Polanski continues to impress. People want authentic good communicators that cut through the noise and Zack seems to be delivering this.
implausibleblog.bsky.social
Zack Polanski, "Reform UK's Zia Yusuf was full of b*llocks and I think it was important to call that out on #BBCQT"

"What has become clear about Reform UK, they're a bunch of cowards"
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
Half these accounts congratulating Niall on his fascinating threads are probably Niall.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
There absolutely is. From someone that has plenty of opinions about British politics but thinks Brits have no right to a view on EU policy, or even UK-EU policy. I partly joined these conversations because I thought the way he was bullying Andrew was out of order and he did the same to me.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
Agree. But not because it's a bad idea as such.
jonworth.eu
Not a hope in hell Branson runs a Manchester-Paris

The new Alstom trains for the Tunnel Virgin plans to order are continental European loading gauge, not UK, so can’t run anywhere beyond HS1 in the UK

So forget it

This is 💩

#CrossChannelRail

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
Access Restricted
www.telegraph.co.uk
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
Love a bit of dual-screening personally
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
They don't want to rejoin anyway and their readership's view is going to be negative by default.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
I'm also not sure these extra border checks will help the case for rejoin, as some suppose. The sense of being othered on visits to the EU might harden people's attitudes the other way.
jonnyhibberd.bsky.social
I suppose I feel a bit the same way as I do about the post-Brexit customs rules. It's the same cheese we were bringing home without a problem before 2020. We're the same people that travelled to the rest of Europe for decades, without a problem. It all seems so perverse.
peterstefanovic.bsky.social
UK travellers should expect "four-hour queues" as new EU border system comes into force. Brexit really is the gift that keeps giving

www.itv.com/news/2025-10...