Scotland's economic recovery - courtesy of the Public Purse

[mac]

I think the rail transport system is being used as a political football - it's a way for Salmond to spend huge amounts of cash which ultimately come out of the funding for the entire British Isles - He probably would spend it on road (well he's given the nod for the M74 extension, the new bridge at Kincardine and by the sounds of it the M80 extension too) but that brings with it potential green issues.

The tree huggers can't complain about spending on the rail network as it's a mass transit system which is what they are all about.

The good folk of the ayrshire town that we are bringing a double track railway too, on the whole, don't want it - the vocal ones would rather the rail system was scrapped and they got a better straighter road to Glasgow (Nizzy & Ken excepted) - but they are getting a new rail line anyway and a doubling of the service between Glasgow and Kilmarnock.

The Edinburgh "main line" stuff - the normal punter won't notice what we are doing, there are a few things that might mean a 10 minute service rather than the 15 min one at present, but that's only valid if the train stops for you.

The biggest difference to the folk of Linlithgow & Polmont might be the opening of he Airdrie to Bathgate line as that might attract some more folk away from the main E&G line - but it depends on journey times.


It's always been the way that the E&G is the jewel in ScotRail's crown - it's been like that since BR days I'm afraid.


Mac

[DJ]

Even the revised cost of the new, smaller bridge (which I think shows terrible short sighted-ness) still seems a amount. I remember as a boy my dad telling me how a motorway cost £1m a mile. Seems a bridge is £1bn a mile nowadays.

Dualling the A9 gets a from me although I'll probably be 6 feet under by the time its delivered.

... being asked to cough up a further 6% this January is a bloody insult.

As a daily user the consistent above inflation price increases every year are really starting to hack me off. Yes its quicker, but financially, I think there is nothing in it now between me travelling to Edinburgh by train and the cost of fuel and parking each day.

[pete]

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Release ... 2/10101843

Discuss?

Keynes is alive and well?

And living in SW1A 2AB

Seems Salmond's been reading his economics theory too. I think that they are probably doing the right thing - what incences me is that they (Government) only becomes interventionist at times like this. Privatise the profit and socialise the loss.

[pete]

The good folk of the ayrshire town that we are bringing a double track railway too, on the whole, don't want it - the vocal ones would rather the rail system was scrapped and they got a better straighter road to Glasgow (Nizzy & Ken excepted) - but they are getting a new rail line anyway and a doubling of the service between Glasgow and Kilmarnock.

I don't want that road any straighter either, and despite what the good burghers of Stewarton may say that railway needs upgrading (I think).
This picture as taken earlier today just outside Dunlop.

[campbell]

A pedant writes.

A collapse in the pound would boost the exporting sector

Probably.

A pessimist writes.

Only if you have made some decent stuff to sell in the first place

Definitely.

[campbell]

... being asked to cough up a further 6% this January is a bloody insult.

As a daily user the consistent above inflation price increases every year are really starting to hack me off. Yes its quicker, but financially, I think there is nothing in it now between me travelling to Edinburgh by train and the cost of fuel and parking each day.

Yep. A further, current example. £6.70 return Linlithgow to Edinburgh *Park*, locale of our new office since May....

First of all, barely 20p less than a flexipass return ticket all the way to Edinburgh for a journey almost half the duration. How does that work.

Second, fuel cost (doesn't matter petrol or diesel, Elise or Golf) is approx £4 for the round trip.

Third, door to door driving time is generally 40 mins worst case, 25 mins best case (outwith rush hour). Using train, door to door time is generally 60 mins best case and escalates alarmingly immediately any delay is called. Generally the same whether rush hour or not, only diff is whether I get a seat or not.

Sheesh.

[campbell]

Pouring newly printed money into uncompetitive state infrastructure projects will give a short term feelgood, or rather, not so bad factor for a while but without a growth in the private, manufacturing, exporting sector we ar f**c*d

Understood.

Although I wonder if we are a bit canny about it as private sector suppliers to those projects, we might partner with the government to genuinely use them as a bridge across the troubled water of slowdown while everybody regroups a bit and organises to come out leaner the other side?

Idealistic perhaps, but we have to try, no?

[greyrigg]

You're right Campbell, it is really only buying breathing space. Unless the regrouping happens it will be for nothing.

Malcolm

[campbell]

Out of interest, how are things impacting your business?

[ryanaldo13]

Why do we have to build a bridge over the Forth!?!? An underground tunnel would be much better (great exhaust sounds me thinks), then it wont get closed all the time for "high winds".

"A new strategy for a toll free £1.72-£2.34 billion replacement Forth Crossing - delivering a £1.7 billion reduction on original cost estimates." Let me save some more tax-payers money...

The whole Oresund bridge/tunnel project cost $2.4 billion and that was for over 16km of road. the Forth crossing is mibbe 2km. Based on my dodgy maths a Forth crossing should be done for about £300 million. The Millau bridge cost about £300 million so it must mean we're being ripped-off big style so can we have a breakdown of how much money will be deliberately wasted on/by dodgy contractors, interfering politicians and thick council officials so we dont have another "Holyrood" fiasco?

As for trains... scrap all carriages and get some of those German "Bahn" trains or some "Mag-Lev" numbers in to do the job and a Bullet train from Glasgow to Edinburgh non-stop.

I might be living in my own wee ideal world, but it's a start!

[campbell]

Good observations Ryanaldo. We need some Civil Engineers to comment here I think!

Tunnels are always rejected as more costly but I totally buy the point that they are less likely to close in poor weather. One argument against is that hazardous stuff can't go through them, but so what

[mac]

Pah - High winds. Only an issue to HGV and buses - the answer to both is rail, heavy haul to the city outskirts and then medium sized vehicles to the stores. Buses should on limited to the outskirts of the conurbation, travel outwith this should be done by rail.



Mac (works in the rail industry, just in case nobody knew )

[pete]

Pah - High winds. Only an issue to HGV and buses - the answer to both is rail, heavy haul to the city outskirts and then medium sized vehicles to the stores. Buses should on limited to the outskirts of the conurbation, travel outwith this should be done by rail.



Mac (works in the rail industry, just in case nobody knew )

Build a maglev. I went on the Shanghai one last year - it accelerates like an amusement ride. It was quite expensive to build though, and may cause problems with all that magnetism near folks houses but they'll be fine (plus some bits of the central belt could do with some genetic mutations to improve things!).

[j2 lot]

Maglev is impressive stuff -fastest I have ever been 'on land' - 430 kph

[pete]

Maglev is impressive stuff -fastest I have ever been 'on land' - 430 kph

And only 1.3billion USD, although that was in China where they use, well let's say cheap labour and not say slaves.

it might be dearer in the west where we have to pay our workers and make sure they don't die falling off stuff.