I want to know why, and who shut down the most viewed topic in the Club forum. Its Engineering content is obvious, and very large indeed. The answer to the problem is supposedly Electricity, and yet we cannot discuss it!
BUT Malcolm the problem is not that we cannot come up with some fixes for some of the difficulties, but that people will not listen to solid Engineering, including some areas of the IET! For some reason there is a fascination with rail transport, which works well but is very expensive at all parts, both construction (HS2 £100Billion) and its electric operation is no more fuel efficient than Diesel, but the overhead power lines are ugly and expensive throughout the lifetime. The HS2 cost is interesting, because say 5000 people use the service each day the tickets have to cost probably £1000 each way for it to be an economic proposition including discounted interest costs. Why is this not understood? The extra speed has Concorde type costs associated to save 30 minutes? Spending the same money on a couple of new Motorways from North to South would allow 100,000 vehicle movements per day (including Freight) which would be a great deal more useful. Railways are really a Victorian answer to use steam for distance transport. Is this the best idea we can invent, I rather think not.
BUT Malcolm the problem is not that we cannot come up with some fixes for some of the difficulties, but that people will not listen to solid Engineering, including some areas of the IET! For some reason there is a fascination with rail transport, which works well but is very expensive at all parts, both construction (HS2 £100Billion) and its electric operation is no more fuel efficient than Diesel, but the overhead power lines are ugly and expensive throughout the lifetime. The HS2 cost is interesting, because say 5000 people use the service each day the tickets have to cost probably £1000 each way for it to be an economic proposition including discounted interest costs. Why is this not understood? The extra speed has Concorde type costs associated to save 30 minutes? Spending the same money on a couple of new Motorways from North to South would allow 100,000 vehicle movements per day (including Freight) which would be a great deal more useful. Railways are really a Victorian answer to use steam for distance transport. Is this the best idea we can invent, I rather think not.
