Improving transport infrastructure - inc. Scotland to Northern Ireland tunnel

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From GE Plus

The chair of Network Rail, Peter Hendy, is to lead an independent review of UK^▸ (United Kingdom) transport connections which will consider the feasibility of a tunnel or bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The government-backed review will look at how to boost transport infrastructure in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England including faster road and rail links and potential projects for improving infrastructure.

Earlier this year Boris Johnson?s secretary of state for Scotland, Alister Jack, made the case for a tunnel to link the Scotland to Northern Ireland. At the time he said it would be cheaper to build and more efficient to use than a bridge. In 2019 Johnson proposed a bridge across the Irish Sea which was widely criticised.

Other areas that will be included in the study are: reviewing air links within the UK, boosting road and rail links to Scotland; cutting journey times to North Wales by reviewing the Welsh railway network; and improving major road links across the country, like the A1.

[Lee]

Just the man for a nonsense, will-never-happen bridge to nowhere.

[TaplowGreen]

Just the man for a nonsense, will-never-happen bridge to nowhere.

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

[grahame]

Just the man for a nonsense, will-never-happen bridge to nowhere.

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

All this talk of tunnels and bridges ... I wonder if there is an intermediate option that could be considered, with something on the surface of the water?    It wouldn't even need to be continuous - they could batch up people wanting to go across (just as they do in a train anyway) and then dispatch those batches to a timetable, with some sort of engine on the batch container.  Might even offer a buffet or restaurant service?  Perhaps too novel to consider?

[stuving]

Just the man for a nonsense, will-never-happen bridge to nowhere.

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

All this talk of tunnels and bridges ... I wonder if there is an intermediate option that could be considered, with something on the surface of the water?    It wouldn't even need to be continuous - they could batch up people wanting to go across (just as they do in a train anyway) and then dispatch those batches to a timetable, with some sort of engine on the batch container.  Might even offer a buffet or restaurant service?  Perhaps too novel to consider?

Would that be a transporter (bridge)? Or maybe a "transporter tunnel"?

[grahame]

Would that be a transporter (bridge)? Or maybe a "transporter tunnel"?

I was thinking of a 4 letter word ... sh** - but you need to be quiet or the idea might gain credence and that would be no good to any politician who wants to stamp his or her change on the current setup.

[Lee]

Just the man for a nonsense, will-never-happen bridge to nowhere.

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

All this talk of tunnels and bridges ... I wonder if there is an intermediate option that could be considered, with something on the surface of the water?    It wouldn't even need to be continuous - they could batch up people wanting to go across (just as they do in a train anyway) and then dispatch those batches to a timetable, with some sort of engine on the batch container.  Might even offer a buffet or restaurant service?  Perhaps too novel to consider?

Broadgage Boats? The Portpatrick Pullman?

[Surrey 455]

Will the bridge have trees and gardens? How about a zipwire?

Hmm, they didn't work out very well for him either.

[Lee]

A classic archive interview clip for you:



"I'm not a moral compass...I just run public transport in London"

Let's hope he possesses an actual compass, or we could end up in Cork 

[Phil]

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

How anyone could imagine HS2 could be "simply" extended to Belfast is beyond me.

[grahame]

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

How anyone could imagine HS2 could be "simply" extended to Belfast is beyond me.

It's simple in cynical fantasy, Phil  ... I hope I read that right, and I suspect you read it that way too 

[stuving]

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

How anyone could imagine HS2 could be "simply" extended to Belfast is beyond me.

Well, crayons are waterproof aren't they? Just leaves the paper ...

[rogerpatenall]

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

How anyone could imagine HS2 could be "simply" extended to Belfast is beyond me.

It's simple in cynical fantasy, Phil  ... I hope I read that right, and I suspect you read it that way too 

Maybe Phil didn't consider the simple expedient of looking around the railway network for a few ready made but disused tunnels (Woodhead, etc) that could be borrowed for the project.

[TaplowGreen]

Surely HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) could simply be extended to Belfast?

How anyone could imagine HS2 could be "simply" extended to Belfast is beyond me.

How anyone could imagine I was being serious is beyond me 🙂

[eightf48544]

Has anyone worked out that 4' 81/2" 5' 3" doesn't go. I suppose you could have an automatic gauge change at Larne.