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:yes:
People should be allowed to fly between London and Manchester if they choose. However a high speed rail line would really get people to consider taking rail instead of air. Only a credible alternative to air travel will convince people to change their traveling habits.
GNER, London to Leeds is under 2 1/2 hours. Driving takes 3-4 hours. The plane (if getting to Heathrow from London and getting to Leeds from Leeds-Bradford airport is factored in) would be significantly slower than the train. And the train is cheaper...
I don't know what you would call a 'true high speed line' but GNER is pretty quick and the journey times for their services are I think comparable to the fast high speed services in Germany..
Manchester with Virgin is under 2 hours now if you get a fast train. I don't think that's bad.
Cutting 45 minutes off the journey from London to Edinburgh or whatever would be nice but surely there should be higher priorities - such as improving local/regional train services and city public transport systems. Look at public transport in Birmingham for a start. Oh and it would be nice if Cross Rail happened in our lifetime.
One morning or afternoon in the near-future you'll hear about a 'Hillsborough" crush on a train , mark my words.
Such lines are usually built as a complement to existing routes as they need special requirements. There are no delays or timetable adjustments caused by other, slower trains because there are no other trains on the line. As a result you have very fast trains that are able to use their high speed to their maximum potential.
The cut in journey times is phenomenal. It would no be unthinkable for a TGV to reach Manchester in 1.15h, or Glasgow in 2.30h, which would tip the balance in the air vs. rail travel passenger numbers. At present the number of passengers who choose to fly to Glasgow and even Manchester from London is shockingly high.
And of course you could also reach Paris, Brussels and various other French, Belgian and German cities in about 5 hours from Manchester and 6.5h from Scotland, which would further cut down on air travel.
Last but not least, high speed railways are good value for money as they add to the prestige of a country and make it more attractive to businesses and tourists alike. It is believed for every Pound spent on high speed railways you will eventually get £1.80 back in extra income generated.
It could also mean people could commute from places like Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol etc and work in London. This could go a long way to reducing the shortage of housing and the high property prices in the south east. With better links to the rest of the country, we may see some the the wealth currently fixed in the south east spread further around the country.
:yes:
:yes:
Lets have something to be proud of in this country. There is presious little else. At the moment our thrid world rail system does nothing to promote Britain as a place to work or visit.
Bit of hyperbole I think!
Exactly.
We are a highly taxed country, yet our health care is always short of cash, our education system needs more money, and we need billions to sort our third world transport system out. We have all these taxes gone? cos it sure isnt on improving transport.
0% - ?5,515
5.5% - ?5,516 to ?10,846
14% - ?10,847 to ?24,432
30% - ?24,433 to ?65,559
40% - Over ?65,559
And in France (although they have good doctors) you need to have health insurance to be allowed access. Since nearly 1 in 10 people who are seeking employment (i.e. not disabled / too young etc.) are unable to find work, your chances aren't too great. France typically does big stunts like fast trains etc. - but then shits on the working class.
Bear in mind that the government has consistently spent more money than it has in income. This will eventually lead to inflation, and the poor people without jobs wont be able to afford a loaf of bread, and the government thinks throwing money that it doesnt have will solve the problem - but it just makes it worse.
Such as? I guarantee that in every single case you trawl out lack of government investment will be to blame!
Which is what the money Network Rail has put forward for. Longer platforms for longer trains, better signalling for more trains. All you need now is more trains. The government have promised 1000 extra carriages which by all accounts are again for London and the South East. However only 2 of the 10 most crowded trains in the country are in London & SE. Typical thinking by Government that nothing exists above Watford.
The only things that stop Britain from getting the world class service it deserves are greed and neglect.