Great Western Coffee Shop

Surprised no one has posted this yet:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-14771292

also the swansea district line will be 100 years old next year.

I do apoligise if this is in the wrong section, but feel free to move it if it is?

any chance we could have a section for infrastructure projects etc added to this forum?

God I do feel old.  No I don't remember the opening  ;D ;D but I do remember Western Region organising a Sunday morning visit to the tunnel mouth on the English side and the chance to walk the first few hundred yards into it as part of the events to mark the centenary in 1986.  I remember being impressed by the state of the brickwork etc.

It's quite a feat of engineering. It does make you wander if such an expensive and complicated project would go ahead today- and indeed what would be different to today's design.

It'll also be really interesting to watch the tunnel become part of the electrified network in the next few years.

The way projects are delivered in this day and age, it would probably be 125 years before such a feat could be accomplished.    Most of the time would probably be taken up in the Planning Process, fighting NIMBYs, Feasability study, funding seeking, then another costly review and if given the go ahead an extensive tendering process.   While all this is being done, the costs would keep on increasing making it too expensive to go ahead with the construction  !!!     Not possible just to get on and do the job.

I'm still not sure.  Not looking forward to seeing The Severn and Box Tunnels and Maidenhead Bridge after the wires go up.  Still that's progress I guess.

Hmm. Network Rail remain positive about the electrification of the Severn Tunnel: see their press release (http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Press-Releases/OPEN-DAY-MARKS-SEVERN-TUNNEL-S-125-YEARS-OF-SERVICE-186a/SearchCategoryID-7.aspx).  ;)

Oh yes I'm under no illusions it will happen. Just the traditionalist in me hopes it wouldn't!