I've been reading a rather common sence article acout climate change adaptation at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12302555
It is time we look to the future adaptation for the future. Having been involved with working with clients in this area, we must make investment rather than the current view of that the emergency services will help us. Careful business management and location is key and much of it common sence.
The days of the excuse of saying that climate change adaptation is simply some other organisation will rescue us must go. A rethink of infrastructure engineering must happen, which the reality of having mainly Victorian or 50's/60's infrastructure must be addressed.
Saturday 29 January 2011
Wednesday 26 January 2011
That was the age of the train
After surviving the holdays, especially 10 days in bed with swine flu I'm on the train after my first long journey after being ill to London.
As I sit on the train, just having a meal the difference strikes me on how I get off the Pendolino and could be getting on some squalid Sprinter back home. Luckily for me there are no early trains to Preston to meet the 06:00 to London so I drove. Saying this, I wouldn't trust the local trains, especially when one got "lost" last year. I was waiting for a train, again to Preston and the train from Leeds was delayed then vanished from the screen. Is there a Class 158 sitting there somewhere?
As I joke, there is a serious point in this. We talk about high speed rail links, rising fuel prices and sustainable transport, but the basics aren't right in terms of local services, and not just in East Lancs, are often shocking. Actually in East Lancs, the now Chief Exec of Blackburn with Darwen BC said 5 years ago there would be a "high speed rail link to Manchester Airport" and failling that the restoration of twin tracks between Blackburn & Bolton. As of 2011 no high speed link and still and average line speed to Manchester of 25mph. Sadly not much has changed since the "Beeching Axe" removed one of the lines, but I bet the rolling stock wasn't much worse. The local trains are filthy, with encrusted grime everywhere, slow, unreliable and giving just an awful journey.
I'm not just blaming the TOCs, as they only operate within their franchise, but it's OK having good services to London, when local services are so infrequent and squalid.
Jimmy Saville was brought in by BR in the 1970's to save BR, but sadly I don't think Jim could fix it for the railways in 2011.
As I sit on the train, just having a meal the difference strikes me on how I get off the Pendolino and could be getting on some squalid Sprinter back home. Luckily for me there are no early trains to Preston to meet the 06:00 to London so I drove. Saying this, I wouldn't trust the local trains, especially when one got "lost" last year. I was waiting for a train, again to Preston and the train from Leeds was delayed then vanished from the screen. Is there a Class 158 sitting there somewhere?
As I joke, there is a serious point in this. We talk about high speed rail links, rising fuel prices and sustainable transport, but the basics aren't right in terms of local services, and not just in East Lancs, are often shocking. Actually in East Lancs, the now Chief Exec of Blackburn with Darwen BC said 5 years ago there would be a "high speed rail link to Manchester Airport" and failling that the restoration of twin tracks between Blackburn & Bolton. As of 2011 no high speed link and still and average line speed to Manchester of 25mph. Sadly not much has changed since the "Beeching Axe" removed one of the lines, but I bet the rolling stock wasn't much worse. The local trains are filthy, with encrusted grime everywhere, slow, unreliable and giving just an awful journey.
I'm not just blaming the TOCs, as they only operate within their franchise, but it's OK having good services to London, when local services are so infrequent and squalid.
Jimmy Saville was brought in by BR in the 1970's to save BR, but sadly I don't think Jim could fix it for the railways in 2011.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)