Letters


overnight works in the tunnel to get stock to the correct location for the morning peak. It is evident to me that FCC


have no contingency plan, no ideas on how to react to a problem on their line, no idea how to maximise the capacity provided, no idea how many passengers they carry, no idea of the demand for their service, and no intention of learning from their past mistakes. On the plus side they have finally painted Luton station. Mark Curran Luton


High speed line must go to Scotland Transport Futures, a group bringing together local government interests across the United Kingdom, strongly supports proposals for a high speed rail network in the UK. However, we are


disappointed that there is as yet no clear commitment to extend this network to the north east and Scotland. The group believes that


a modern, high speed rail network is essential to the future transport system of the UK, to narrow the economic gap between London and other regions of the UK and to allow the UK to compete effectively within European markets. The proposed Y-shaped


high speed rail network will provide faster journeys across the UK and will transform our transport system, bringing people and places closer to national and international markets and improving access to a wider range of labour markets, customers and suppliers. However, the full benefits of high speed rail will only be realised when the network is extended further northwards. Transport Futures welcomes the current consultation by the government and the commitment shown so far towards developing high speed


rail. Nevertheless, the project will face many challenges ahead and bringing this project to reality will require continuing political and financial commitment by all parties. It is essential that the


positive messages in support of high speed rail as the transport solution for the future continue to be heard. Transport Futures will welcome further discussion on the development of a high speed network beyond Birmingham and the currently proposed Y-network, to create a truly national network to support economic prosperity throughout the UK. Stuart Wrigley Secretary LGA Transport Futures


Don’t let the Derby plant close


I’m an employee at Bombardier in Derby. My Dad and Grandad worked for the railway, and I’ve been here for the last 12 and a half years.


I am proud to be part of this


historic site and would hope I could retire here in 20 years time, but it seams as though the government are willing to let all this disappear. I don’t think they realise what impact this will have on Derby and the East Midlands as a manufacturing hub, as well as on the country as a whole. I feel one of the only ways


to make the government sit up and take notice is that all manufacturers in the UK should stick together as they do in Germany, France and Spain – and protest even if it means going on strike to overturn this unforgivable decision. If we don’t, this factory will


close and 10,000-plus families (Bombardier employees and the supply chain) will suffer as a consequence of this. Clive Roe


Quality specialist Bombardier


TGV celebrates 30 years


This year is the 30th birthday of the first TGV, so the events of the last 30 years have been reviewed in some newspapers in France. It is true that some provincial French cities have benefited to a greater or lesser extent – Marseilles and Lille in particular – but many ‘people in the street’ responded as to how it had enabled them to get to Paris – to work, or see their girlfriend, or for regular visits to a medical specialist. It has enabled people to visit their second homes in the


country, from their Paris base, more often or live further away and commute into the capital. A neighbour used to travel by TGV to Paris for a day for meetings – sometimes twice a week. This is a journey of about 310 miles each way. A good friend, who knows a lot about Irish rail history,


answered my queries about the branch lines in the west of Ireland that were opened quite late in the history of rail openings. They would never pay, but were built to ‘open up’ the places, to enable them to ship their goods out. What actually happened was that it made them a market more readily accessible to people outside the area to ship goods in – the opposite of what was planned! These branches were among the first to be closed. This fits in with the TGV story. The benefit has been as much – if not more – toward Paris as outward. For HS2, we are told it will benefit the northern parts of the UK. I imagine it will, but it could well have the effect of bringing more ‘stuff’ to London and the south east. When the French started to raise the speed on LGV, they found that the cost of maintenance rose exponentially and a query immediately arose as to a positive cost:benefit of going faster. This is an even more valid theory with rising fuel costs. We have seen some fast ferry services withdrawn, as with Concord, because the costs are too great compared with the benefit of their extra speed. So, would it be better if HS2 were marketed more as XC1 (Extra Capacity Route 1)? It will certainly make other lines freer to accept more trains and benefit far more people. I am pro HS2. But, with more debate still to come, are there not other ways to market it?


Eric Stuart CMILT MIRO France


AUGUST 2011 PAGE 13


Stefan Ataman / Shutterstock.com


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