Bridge between Scotland and Ireland

[Andrew]

The UK is moving slowly away from France. One day it will snap.

[Andrew]

HS1 should have run to Gatwick using the nice straight line of track intended for moving tanks rapidly down to the channel ports.

Gatwick has all the immigration and customs people and from there an upgraded Gatwick express could have moved people to London, while HS2 could have headed across to Cardiff, then over to Aberystwyth and across to Dublin.

[Jethro_uk]

All of which presumes that the Scots idea of "defence" is aligned with the English view - which seems to spend an awful lot of money an awful long way from England.

[Jethro_uk]

The south of Britain is also sinking - you can see the Embankment has had to be raised a few times.

I think it's 30cm/1' a century.

Of course any rising sea levels will exacerbate that (or vice versa ...)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Providing a high speed link from Gatwick to Victoria would have been fun. ;-)

[nightjar]

An alternative would be to make it a rail bridge and run Channel Tunnel style vehicle carrying trains between two places that are easy to get to. Obviously, the railway gauge difference would make through passenger trains like Eurostar and through goods trains impractical, but they could run to a transfer station on one side or the other.

[polygonum_on_google]

I've never understood why channel tunnel shuttle trains were never extended to, say, Watford or Reading (or wherever else made sense). That would have reduced the road traffic round London and through Kent.

[polygonum_on_google]

Well, I expect it to cost the taxpayer more than it costs the users.

[polygonum_on_google]

The obvious thing to do is make landfall on the Irish side smack on the NI/RoI border. Then they can move it a few yards up or down, as needed, so that both ends are in the same regime, whichever one that is. :-)

[Jethro_uk]

Especially as that was promised as part of the project. IIRC they were supposed to run to Coleshill in Warks ?

[charles]

I think freight trains do.

[nightjar]

They are too wide and too tall for either British or European standard lines.

[harry]

Providing it across those Welsh mountains would be fun too.

[Andrew]

Get the Chinese to build it. Any houses in the way, demolish them.:-)

[nightjar]

On 10/02/2020 23:05, Pent wrote: ..

It is also slow compared to what the Japanese are building:

[jon lopgel]

Because that makes them a target, the subs currently not at sea.

[Tim Lamb]

Huh! There has been a long standing battle over the planned freight exchange rail/road set up on the old Handley Page airfield at Park Street near St. Albans. Currently I think the Minister has accepted the rail/freight scheme but local planning have designated the site for housing!

>

[Custos Custodum]

Closed in the 90's. The dockyard is still there, but it's privately run now.

[polygonum_on_google]

It would indeed! :-)

They won't even electrify Cardiff to Swansea! And the existing railway beyond Cardiff is more Ivor the Engine than HS-anything. :-)

[Steve Walker]

But that would likely lead to high prices, advance bookings, etc. for using the crossing, just as with the channel tunnel. A road crossing is likely to be far more affordable and convenient for users.

May I refer you to the "Talgo" gauge changing trains used in various countries.

SteveW