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Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by cricketman
(Post 11091199)
And because they didnt have a 19th century second industrial revolution that was based on the railways
Remember that the British railways were built to help manufacturing, not for commuting. The UK has had hardly any public transport projects in the past 50 years Spain in contrast has spent a fortune on them Whilst I am sure the UK does not spend as much as Spain enormous sums have been spent on upgrades that do not have the high profile of new lines. I think they are spending £850 million at Reading alone and of course there is crossrail, currently the largest engineering project in Europe. I am in favour of spending on infrastructure projects but the pot of money is only so big so should be spent wisely and to the benefit of as much as the population as possible. I just do not think the AVE achieves that. Why it has turned into UK/Spain is beyond me. |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by johnnyone
(Post 11091337)
That's because the UK infrastructure was in place.
Whilst I am sure the UK does not spend as much as Spain enormous sums have been spent on upgrades that do not have the high profile of new lines. I think they are spending £850 million at Reading alone and of course there is crossrail, currently the largest engineering project in Europe. I am in favour of spending on infrastructure projects but the pot of money is only so big so should be spent wisely and to the benefit of as much as the population as possible. I just do not think the AVE achieves that. Why it has turned into UK/Spain is beyond me. :( |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by cricketman
(Post 11091199)
Remember that the British railways were built to help manufacturing, not for commuting. The UK has had hardly any public transport projects in the past 50 years
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Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by Lynn R
(Post 11091529)
Well, to be fair, they have. Apart from Crossrail which has already been mentioned, there's Eurostar, the DLR, the upgrading of the West Coast main line which brought down journey times, many cities including Manchester and Sheffield have first built tram systems and then extended them to new lines.
I don't object to major infrastructure projects, in fact I believe they are vital to assist in the recovery whether that be the UK or Spain. That shouldn't stop me voicing an opinion as to the where the money should be spent without it turning into a Spain/ UK debate. |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by johnnyone
(Post 11091693)
Some much needed balance.
I don't object to major infrastructure projects, in fact I believe they are vital to assist in the recovery whether that be the UK or Spain. That shouldn't stop me voicing an opinion as to the where the money should be spent without it turning into a Spain/ UK debate. The thing is that vast funds have been spent, much of it already lost due to various failures and lack of foresight, on a vanity rail system that simply was never needed. When and if it is ever completed, the countries rail system as a whole will actually be less comprehensive than it was previously with some communities left with no service at all. Approx 80 BILLIONS blown on a system where only 5% of the population use rail travel on a regular basis. New airports built for vast sums of money, yet not needed. It could be argued that this is investment for the future, were it not for the fact that some have already deteriorated to such an extent as to be already unusable and by the time IF EVER they are needed, vast sums would again have to be spent to make them serviceable. Vast sums spent on road systems are probably a better bet given the Spanish love for motor cars. Once again it could be argued that many of these roads were simply not needed and remain little used, though on the plus side some of them have made a definite improvement to road travel in certain busier areas. Overall so much money wasted that surely could have been put to so much better use, given the present sad predicament of Spain and its people. |
Re: Train development news
I have been following this thread for some time and I may be wrong but is there not a proposal to link Algeceras to Barcelona but that one side wants to follow the coast and the other to go inland. I further understand that the geology and terrain along the coast make it prohibitory expensive but that is where EU MONEY IS AVAILABLE and the inland route would have to be financed by Spain alone.
Correct me if I have misunderstood. |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by steviedeluxe
(Post 11088778)
Have to agree with CM - we've seen major metro and tram systems put in various Spanish cities now, like Valencia, Bilbao, Zaragoza etc. as well as the expansion of lines in Madrid and Barcelona
If the Spanish had started putting new train lines in tourist areas (closed 3- 6 months of the year remember) we'd have the usual brigade on here moaning - look only 5 passengers a day in January or March! So the Spanish in fact have their priorities right. You don't get new train lines proposed in somewhere like Cornwall or south-west Wales, and neither should you do for tourist areas of Spain. They don't put a toll road where they think it will be empty, (although it maybe - there was good reason for it) Sometimes I wish I paid the toll, another day I may wish Id took the train if the option was there. |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by EsuriJohn
(Post 11091933)
I have been following this thread for some time and I may be wrong but is there not a proposal to link Algeceras to Barcelona but that one side wants to follow the coast and the other to go inland. I further understand that the geology and terrain along the coast make it prohibitory expensive but that is where EU MONEY IS AVAILABLE and the inland route would have to be financed by Spain alone.
Correct me if I have misunderstood. IIRC this is because the route is actually for freight and not for tourists and quite honestly the price for the coastal route would be 5 times the €billions the inland route would cost. hth |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by Domino
(Post 11091344)
at least Spain is building new lines, the UK has built hardly any since Beeching
:( The re-instatement of that line was proposed some years ago and is included in plans on the town PGOU(?). All I am saying is the cost of opening that and similar lines is more cost effective than some of the other spending that has been made on transport projects across Spain. Anyway enough of this, off to the airport in a couple of hours for a short break to our house.:) |
Re: Train development news
I was under the impression that the Gandia-Oliva line had long since been ripped up and turned into a cycle lane. We use it to walk to Bellreguard. Or is there another train line we haven't discovered yet?
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Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by andyrich666
(Post 11091952)
They don't put a toll road where they think it will be empty, (although it maybe - there was good reason for it |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by agoreira
(Post 11092509)
Well that might not be the plan, but that's very much the way it has turned out in many cases, the radials around Madrid, they are all bankrupt, it's a case of "spot the car". Others as I've said before will take around 650 years to pay for them, never mind turn a profit. I know when I head south from Málaga, I pretty much have the autovia to myself.
Madrid used to come to a standstill at puentes and other holiday times when everybody left to go to the Coast. Nowadays many more people have to stay at home. |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by agoreira
(Post 11092509)
Well that might not be the plan, but that's very much the way it has turned out in many cases, the radials around Madrid, they are all bankrupt, it's a case of "spot the car". Others as I've said before will take around 650 years to pay for them, never mind turn a profit. I know when I head south from Málaga, I pretty much have the autovia to myself.
not surprised, you only have the Alboran Sea if you head South out of Malaga - perhaps you meant West :confused: |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by Domino
(Post 11093109)
:rofl:
not surprised, you only have the Alboran Sea if you head South out of Malaga - perhaps you meant West :confused: True - once you join the peaje after Benalmadena you're more or less on your own until you get off at Sotogrande. |
Re: Train development news
Originally Posted by jimenato
(Post 11093205)
I think we know what he meant:rolleyes:
True - once you join the peaje after Benalmadena you're more or less on your own until you get off at Sotogrande. |
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