I think they will be kicking against the ****, to coin a phrase.
I think they will be kicking against the ****, to coin a phrase.
It is interesting to note that London to Paris by rail is 2 1/4 hours, London to Edinburgh, a similar distance, is getting slower and is now 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
The inept Dft in London still forecasts fuel costs at $25/bbl for the next 30 years, no sign of peak oil on their radar at all, and they are still convinced that airport expansion and increased flying will bring prosperity.
Sadly events are showing this to be a strategic disaster for Scotland. The onward march of oil prices, prices that will soar once peak oil becomes all too evident, will kill off the air corridors between Scotland and London within a few years. This will leave us with redundant airports and 150 year old railway alignments as the fastest affordable way of traveling to London and beyond.
A third Anglo Scottish railway, a high speed route, makes sense. Not only would it give good journey times, be far more affordable than flying, and five times more energy efficient. It would also free up existing classic railways for freight, again five times more fuel efficient than road haulage. It's a no-brainer.
Sadly by the time the government realises what needs to be done, peak oil will be in the past and the construction costs of such a route will be astronomical.
It’s interesting to see how all the money from North Sea oil taxes has been squandered on the wrong sort of infrastructure for the future.
It is interesting to note that London to Paris by rail is 2 1/4 hours, London to Edinburgh, a similar distance, is getting slower and is now 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
The inept Dft in London still forecasts fuel costs at $25/bbl for the next 30 years, no sign of peak oil on their radar at all, and they are still convinced that airport expansion and increased flying will bring prosperity.
Sadly events are showing this to be a strategic disaster for Scotland. The onward march of oil prices, prices that will soar once peak oil becomes all too evident, will kill off the air corridors between Scotland and London within a few years. This will leave us with redundant airports and 150 year old railway alignments as the fastest affordable way of traveling to London and beyond.
A third Anglo Scottish railway, a high speed route, makes sense. Not only would it give good journey times, be far more affordable than flying, and five times more energy efficient. It would also free up existing classic railways for freight, again five times more fuel efficient than road haulage. It's a no-brainer.
Sadly by the time the government realises what needs to be done, peak oil will be in the past and the construction costs of such a route will be astronomical.
It’s interesting to see how all the money from North Sea oil taxes has been squandered on the wrong sort of infrastructure for the future.
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