In reply to a post by tommy45:

Bit like his bridge to NI across the Irish sea, lol it would spend more time closed

A little behind the times. Scoping studies and preparatory work for designs on "Boris's Burrow" are likely to start in the next few weeks.


People said the same about the Sweden to Denmark link - and proven wrong. Look at the number of lorries crossing by ferry every day - from either North or South Wales. A decent rail link with containers rather than lorries could see freight being loaded in Dublin, transported by rail all of the way through to depots on each major European capital and tens of thousands of lorry journeys through the UK alleviated.

What’s blast from the past. That documentary is practically vintage now, 2001. The Ovum consultant could have subsequently added two more “unrecognisable” industry changes to his career in the intervening 20 years since this came out!

In reply to a post by heathrow:

It's the joy of capitalism.

In a nationalised undertaking you wouldn;t have the likes of AAISP (premium service, premium price - I was a happy customer for many years).


You'd have PO Telephones - long delay for stuff, homogenised product. Expensive and poor,.

You want a new broadband line? 18 months wait.

To see why a nationalised provider was a bad idea, and why allowing the incumbent to do what it ikes, check out this 2004 Channel 4 documentary: https://youtu.be/-zHAj0XoHy8

Power Behind The Button? My [censored].

In reply to a post by MHC:

A little behind the times. Scoping studies and preparatory work for designs on "Boris's Burrow" are likely to start in the next few weeks.

However as the hauliers have said repeatedly improving the roads to Stranraer would be way way more useful than a bridge. What's the point of a fancy bridge if to get to it you have to slog through Dumfries and Galloway on a single carriageway A road (either A77 or A75) where the speed limit is 40mph for a HGV?

Part of that is if you ask me the clowns in London have about as much idea of the geography of Scotland as a tea-leaf knows the history of the East India Company.

Bridge? What bridge?

Comments have already been made about rail links and shifting freight from road to rail

In reply to a post by MHC:

Bridge? What bridge?
Comments have already been made about rail links and shifting freight from road to rail

Strange turn for this thread, but this article is interesting:
https://www.ice.org.uk/getattachment/knowledge-and-r...

People travel by car because it is cheaper, faster and much more convenient than by train, unless trying to park in London.

Why are there so many Smart Motorways (not ideal I know) being built then? Surely the way to get people on to the railways is to leave the roads congested?

In reply to a post by broadband66:

People travel by car because it is cheaper, faster and much more convenient than by train, unless trying to park in London.

Car = Individual Point to Point, whereas Train = town/region to town/region.

Why are there so many Smart Motorways (not ideal I know) being built then? Surely the way to get people on to the railways is to leave the roads congested?

Before the pandemic, the trains were full as well as the roads.

More train capacity makes sense, but is the cost of super fast warranted? Unclear. Will it stop people flying from Gatwick, Luton, Stansted to Glasgow? Probably not, as people say they don't want to go into London to travel out again, but the Eurostar worked.

Anyway, all this is pre-pandemic, once we get out of this mess, the future will be different, companies have now seen that home working over broadband internet is possible. Many didn't believe it before.

Agreed. Last year economic output declined by 10% due to the pandemic. The worst decline in 300 years if the headlines are to be believed.

In many respects one could argue that the availability of home networking and technology, actually was the safety net that staved off complete economic and educational system catastrophe.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

In many respects one could argue that the availability of home networking and technology, actually was the safety net that staved off complete economic and educational system catastrophe.

Yes, I would argue that, but I'm probably biased working for a massive IT company

I don't think you're biased at all. I think most 'joe public' folk that have jobs that allow them to WFH through remote working tech/networking and/or have children in school/university, despite all the pitfalls, can see that it has been the only way to maintain some level of normality and forward progress this past year.

More importantly in future this is a massive "enabler" as this (post C19 societal landscape) looks to be the new normal on some levels for perhaps this next decade depending on whom you listen to.

Has the "office" and "school" and "uni" been changed forever.....?