Reply to: Leeds is almost in Scotland, isn't it?

[HairyArsedBloke]

My female Londoner neighbour had difficultly opening the front door the other day (old storm door) so I came out and opened it for the well tanned nice smelling petite frail range rover driving person that she is. Now every time she sees me sat at the window see expects the doorman.

Yes, it is so difficult to get the help that understands English these days.

[fzbucks]

Whisky, Heather, Shortbread and Gingers

and highland toffee

[fzbucks]

It's actually a great time to start major public construction projects.

During the Great Depression the Americans built the Hoover Dam, the Aussies build the Great Ocean Road, and the Kiwis also build a road to Milford Sound.

Now it's our turn and we're going to build a railway to Leeds (wherever that is). Of course we've saved up loads of tax money in the boom years to pay for it all...

No but we've got all that Gold stashed away and it price has boomed.....

[AtW]

Can you be absolutely certain that Railtrack have never arranged that for the Dundee Express?

Dundee is not as far as Moscow.

Personally I'd be okay for high speed line to extend to Glasgow as well as linking Glasgow and Edinburgh - the UK needs backbone line like this to encourage commerce and offload London activity elsewhere. The only thing they should do is to ensure high capacity for that high speed railway - no point to have it if it costs £90 to get to London in the morning, oh wait it costs as much right now

[expat]

Next year I plan to take train to Russia ... one day stop in Berlin too.

Can you be absolutely certain that Railtrack have never arranged that for the Dundee Express?

[Bagpuss]

Scotland is well worth a visit despite the perception of some of those too phobic to leave their Hackney bedsits, quite popular with the Royals when they want a country retreat, no jellyed eels though, so Londoners might not survive the experience. They likes eels

Like this typical Londoner

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dj80Cw--n9A

[AtW]

No, tovarich: it's £162 return in 2nd class (1 berth in a 2-berth cabin, normally share with a stranger), or £224 return in 1st, which is the only way not to share (actually, bribing the steward is cheaper).

That's rip off Britain in action.

Can someone who has been to Japan say how much tickets on high speed trains cost there?

Next year I plan to take train to Russia rather than airplane - estimated cost is 333 euros one way - one day stop in Berlin too.

[expat]

Safety probably - in case of any issues evacuation will be difficult. Well, maybe this is not the main consideration - I think UK is just a bad country for any trains past midnight, this was really annoying me when I used to use trains every day.

I remember once having to go to Dundee for a job interview and had to go through Glasgow, by the time I reached the place the only thing I cared about was to finish interview as soon as possible to catch the last train (3pm!) back to the mainland. They should pay London salaries to live there, and Scotland salaries in London

Don't know, I think it's more that trains are sort of point-to-point. On the continent, you will often find trains in the middle of the night, because they start and end in other more distant locations in daytime hours. In fact when I lived in Hamburg all the long-distance trains seemed to go through at 3am, because they all originated in Paris or Copenhagen or wherever. By contrast, trains to and from Paris are all daytime/end of evening/start of morning, becaus none of them are through trains, Paris is the end of all the lines.

London salaries in Scotland? It'd be mobbed!

[scooterscot]

BTW why no showers on the trains, they can do it on boats?

Probably more weight on the rolling stock would result in burning more fuel, not much of an issue on a boaty. + where would the grey water go? I'd save it for Leeds... they'd never notice.

[expat]

Come to think about it - if it's £50 night return sleeper ticket then it could replace expensive London hotels - travel to Scotland to see places and back while sleep and transport is paid for, that would actually be in demand IMO.

No, tovarich: it's £162 return in 2nd class (1 berth in a 2-berth cabin, normally share with a stranger), or £224 return in 1st, which is the only way not to share (actually, bribing the steward is cheaper).

BTW why no showers on the trains, they can do it on boats?

[AtW]

While I'm at it, why no sleeper trains across channel?

Safety probably - in case of any issues evacuation will be difficult. Well, maybe this is not the main consideration - I think UK is just a bad country for any trains past midnight, this was really annoying me when I used to use trains every day.

I remember once having to go to Dundee for a job interview and had to go through Glasgow, by the time I reached the place the only thing I cared about was to finish interview as soon as possible to catch the last train (3pm!) back to the mainland. They should pay London salaries to live there, and Scotland salaries in London

[expat]

I think trains in the UK should be double decked to increase capacity - this upgrade should be fairly cheap to do as tracks stay the same, train station's length also.



Sounds fine by me. Very high speed train in this case is bad actually because you won't get time to sleep.

The Conservatives are 100% right with this plan - the cost is a fraction of what Nu Liebor wasted on PFI, bail outs of dodgy morgages etc - it's shocking really how much UK infrastructure can be improved for £150 bln so long as no EDS, ccenture types are involved.

Maybe the only strategic mistake of Britain was not to adopt French language and be part of greater French Republic.

French are largely giving up on sleeper trains, replacing them with TGV. It's not quite the same. Four years ago I regularly went weekly between Paris and Zurich: the sleeper was perfect but even then it was just a single Wagons-Lits car (wagon 110) attached to a seating train.

While I'm at it, why no sleeper trains across channel? I'd love to take a midnight train from London to Frankfurt. The distance is right, and is wrong for day trains (especially with multiple changes).

[Bagpuss]

Fair enough! Also, why provide transport to ginger, prismatically pale & translucent

It comes to something when 'British' people beome ashamed of the classic British appearance. Olive skin is not indigenous to these isles.

[AtW]

How about a midnight departure with advance checkin, lounge car already open, separate lounge in station (who needs Glasgow or Euston at 11:30pm?), cooked breakfast+newspaper on the train at a civilised hour of the morning; and plenty of time to leave the train? I might go for that.

Come to think about it - if it's £50 night return sleeper ticket then it could replace expensive London hotels - travel to Scotland to see places and back while sleep and transport is paid for, that would actually be in demand IMO.

[AtW]

IMHO much better use could indeed be made of existing track, including reliable single-occupancy sleepers that don't cost as much as a taxi with civilised accommodation at either end.

I think trains in the UK should be double decked to increase capacity - this upgrade should be fairly cheap to do as tracks stay the same, train station's length also.

How about a midnight departure with advance checkin, lounge car already open, separate lounge in station (who needs Glasgow or Euston at 11:30pm?), cooked breakfast+newspaper on the train at a civilised hour of the morning; and plenty of time to leave the train? I might go for that.

Sounds fine by me. Very high speed train in this case is bad actually because you won't get time to sleep.

The Conservatives are 100% right with this plan - the cost is a fraction of what Nu Liebor wasted on PFI, bail outs of dodgy morgages etc - it's shocking really how much UK infrastructure can be improved for £150 bln so long as no EDS, ccenture types are involved.

Maybe the only strategic mistake of Britain was not to adopt French language and be part of greater French Republic.