Whilst France celebrates 30 years of its admirable TGV high speed rail services, Britain
struggled to complete barely 70 miles of high speed rail track after 13 years of indecision,
whilst the Government has wasted years without building more UK high speed rail lines,
despite a growing need and consensus of support.
The Guardian reports today...
"The government has given the green light to a new £32.7bn high-speed
rail network and announced new stretches of tunnelling to placate
opponents of the scheme. The decision ends months of speculation.
The first phase of the network, between London and Birmingham, due to
come into operation in 2026, will cut journey times by more than 30
minutes."
The first HST2 train will run fifteen years from today! Did the French build their wonderful network by taking so long to get each new stretch of track from blueprint to reality?
The final approval for the very first TGV line was given on the 23rd of March 1976 and work started in the December of that year. On the 22nd of September 1981 the line was officially opened, President Francois Mitterand travelled from Paris to Lyon at speeds of up to 260 kilometres an hour.
The final approval for the very first TGV line was given on the 23rd of March 1976 and work started in the December of that year. On the 22nd of September 1981 the line was officially opened, President Francois Mitterand travelled from Paris to Lyon at speeds of up to 260 kilometres an hour.
PDF
2 comments:
And you've lived in the Miggle East, where a 50-storey skyscraper can get itself built in a couple of years. I really don't understand why stuff takes so long in the UK. Rail-wise, it really would make sense if British Rail was restored to its former glory (apart from the sandwiches). Infrastructure like rail is a public service that should not be run for profit.
British Rail and your 'burgers!
Post a Comment