Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

Perhaps lack of investment, be it private or state, is the issue?

Most European counties treat rail travel as a utility, in that good rail transport benefits the consumers and the country, so is worth subsidising.

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

Lots of investment in HS2 . . . possibly the priorities are wrong?

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

No, for once the priority is right, though arguably it should have been built the other way round, so as to improve connectivity in central and northern England before connecting it back to London.

All the complaining about it is just classic British short termism, typified by the argument that the money should have been spent on further capacity for the west coast main line - this might have been quicker and cheaper but it wouldn’t have delivered the step-change required.

Electrically powered mass transit by air is still a very distant prospect, so investing in rapid electric rail is essential if we are going to want to maintain the ability to travel about without loading shedloads of co2 into the atmosphere.

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

So we need more nuclear power for when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow.

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

I agree - we need a mix.

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

Of course we do, it's common sense. That is in short supply atm though.

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

More urgently, we need storage for gas and electricity. But that's another discussion. ;)

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

Storage for electricity would cost not billions but trillions. Shale gas would have put us in a better position.

Have a listen to this.

https://twitter.com/talkRADIO/status...16664961699840

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

Ultimately, nuclear fusion seems to be the answer, but that is still some years away yet.

Re: Southeastern Trains nationalised over breach of trust
 

That does not mean nuclear fission is not an alternative to gas generation of electricity.