High speed rail network

[CopperBrompton]

And for what? Half an hour off a journey time?

Much more than that. I do London to Paris quite frequently, and the door-to-door time flying was about 5.5-6 hours. Eurostar, it's more like 3.5 hours.

Another impetus to rush from one end of the country to the other, just to sit in a meeting and be bored by a powerpoint presentation?

Or to get home from that Powerpoint presentation to our partner or out on our bike, perhaps ...

And, surely more importantly to the eco-warrior contingent, an irresistable reason to swap plane or car for train.

 

[marinyork]

And, surely more importantly to the eco-warrior contingent, an irresistable reason to swap plane or car for train.

I find the plane one somewhat an odd argument as has been pointed out by even some of the transport big wigs, XC has appalling capacity and speed limitations. Yes, people fly to scotland and manchester but rather disturbingly when I used XC often, there's a crazyarse contingent that fly from the north/north east down to Cornwall and Devon on a fairly regular basis. If you want to stop people flying, as well as taxing short haul flights and leaving the Chicago convention, upgrading XC capacity and speedwise would also stop quite a few flights.

 

[Archie_tect]

And, surely more importantly to the eco-warrior contingent, an irresistable reason to swap plane or car for train.

Offer to buy and install the latest video conferencing kit in every location and avoid travelling anywhere for [what are often non-essential] meetings?

 

[Archie_tect]

there's a crazyarse contingent that fly from the north/north east down to Cornwall and Devon.

Marinyork,
Must confess that we took my 84 year old disabled father-in-law and 80 year old mother-in-law to Exeter using flybe in June for a week's holiday to revisit Newton Abbott [where he's from] solely because they do fly direct from Newcastle. He gets agitated and uncomfortable sitting so they couldn't face the 9 hour [or so] train journey each way even though it's direct [he can't get up and walk down the aisle as he's not stable on crutches due to having a failed hip replacement removed- ie no hip joint at all in one leg <faint>].

I must confess it was a godsend- he loved it but may not be able to go again so it was worth it. Couldn't condone regular journeys though - if people need to be there regularly there they should move [even if it means uprooting if it's that important] rather than waste their lives travelling.
Chris

 

[marinyork]

Marinyork,
Must confess that we took my 84 year old disabled father-in-law and 80 year old mother-in-law to Exeter using flybe in June for a week's holiday to revisit Newton Abbott [where he's from] solely because they do fly direct from Newcastle. He gets agitated and uncomfortable sitting so they couldn't face the 9 hour [or so] train journey each way even though it's direct [he can't get up and walk down the aisle as he's not stable on crutches due to having a failed hip replacement removed- ie no hip joint at all in one leg <faint>].

I must confess it was a godsend- he loved it but may not be able to go again so it was worth it. Couldn't condone regular journeys though - if people need to be there regularly there they should move [even if it means uprooting if it's that important] rather than waste their lives travelling.
Chris

I'm aware people do that. I mean there are commuters who do it. Not everyday but still. There are also a lot of students who do it e.g. get the train to newcastle or leeds and fly down.

 

[jonesy]

It's worth remembering that we used to have a third north - south rail route, built in 1899 by the Great Central. It was the last major rail route to be completed, and was built throughout to the continental loading gauge which would have enabled high speed running. But, thanks to the farsighted and visionary Doctor Richard Beeching, it closed in the 1960s.

I would expect that the new route would use at least some of the old GC route, it would help get as far as north of Rugby, but would then need to start heading north west, wheras the old GC went north east.

 

[stoatsngroats]

It was in the 1980s, at Polmont.

Was that involving a single line? I had 2 friends killed in a single line accident, at Cowden.

 

[Archie_tect]

I would expect that the new route would use at least some of the old GC route, but would then need to start heading north west, wheras the old GC went north east.

Why spoil a perfectly good route J!

 

[gavintc]

I'd rather have an HST any day - preferably with the original type seats, and not a First Great Western style nasty refurb. Turbostars and Voyagers are both horrible trains to travel on. Turbostars especially.

spotter.

Personally, I am quite happy on the rolling stocking on the East Coast line. The Virgin trains are OK as long as you are in 1st class.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Offer to buy and install the latest video conferencing kit in every location and avoid travelling anywhere for [what are often non-essential] meetings?

We've done this before. There are many things that can be done remotely (email, teleconference, videoconference) and many things that can't.

As for essential/non-essential, that is a determination for the client rather than some random bloke on a web forum.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Couldn't condone regular journeys though - if people need to be there regularly there they should move [even if it means uprooting if it's that important] rather than waste their lives travelling.

And if they need to regularly travel on business to half a dozen countries, they should presumably move home every few weeks or days ...

 

[BrumJim]

Was that involving a single line? I had 2 friends killed in a single line accident, at Cowden.

No - cow on the line on the main Glasgow to Edinburgh route. I trust that the pun was unintentional. It was a very significant moment in the development of train safety, and lead to cow catchers being fitted to the front of trains again, only a more robust but subtle version of the old steam train ones.

 

[Archie_tect]

And if they need to regularly travel on business to half a dozen countries, they should presumably move home every few weeks or days ...

Excellent point Ben... or the company could employ several people in each country on a part time basis providing detailed local knowledge linked by video conferencing? [must be a flaw there somewhere... ]

 

[mangaman]

Excellent point Ben... or the company could employ several people in each country on a part time basis providing detailed local knowledge linked by video conferencing? [must be a flaw there somewhere... ]

What if you work on your own? That's a flaw straight away

 

[Archie_tect]

What if you work on your own? That's a flaw straight away

Yup, that's one!

But what would one person need be doing on their own in several countries that didn't require contact with people when they got there that couldn't be dealt with using technological links... thereby negating the need to travel?

Ha!

[This shouldn't take long ]