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Summary |
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Summary
UK Transport infrastructure progressed a great deal during the 20'th century,
with both the road network and airport facilities vastly expanding. Yet
in
the UK today, the current networks of road, rail, and air are at saturation
point. There are only two
choices to make. Either increase the infrastructure network, or curtail movement of people.
Clearly, travel is not going to be rationed/limited in our free society, thus
the issue is what should central government do to improve the capacity ?
Proposals
Primary proposals
UK Maglev Metro Transit system
London Mainline Station Express Line
Extension of London Tube network to outlying districts
Road system upgrades
more cross country west<>east links
Focus on Airports-City links - Maglev proposals esp : Birmingham,
Manchester, Glasgow airports
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Index |
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LOMASEL - London circle
line to join the mainline stations |
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London Mainline Station Express Line ( LOMASEL)
Introduction
London has some great railway stations, most of which are now up to a decent
standard, yet as any London commuter will agree, commuting directly between any of these mainline terminals is a
real pain. It is time for a decent dedicated link that serves these important
stations. The cost of the project will likely be around 20-25 billion, spread
across a decade, and is surely justified when considering the benefits such a link
would bring to the London community.
The Concept....
A 10.5 mile circle route to link 8 London Rail Terminals. The Line will provide
a quick method to cross London without having to use the current overloaded
underground network.
Aim : Currently, a commuter who wishes to cross London is faced with the dire
prospect of being crammed amongst the daily working commuters on the already
overloaded underground lines. What is needed is a circle line which links up all
of London's mainline stations.
Benefits : - A dedicated line to service inter-station travel hops.
- Lighten the commuter load on the currently overburdened existing underground
network,
in particular the Circle and Northern line.
- The Channel Tunnel Rail link - terminating at Kings X/St. Pancras: the link
would be very
useful for commuters wishing to hop to any
other mainline station.
Construction Type: The route will be entirely underground, taking approx. 5-7 years
to complete the tunnelling work.
Transit method : Maglev trains, or conventional rolling stock ? Maglev would
significantly reduce the long term costs of maintenance of the line.
Cost : The tunnelling and necessary underground station terminals will likely
amount to around 20-25 billion, the cost being spread across the expected total
construction time of 7-10 years.
Schematic of the London Mainline Station Express Line ( LOMASEL)
Notes
The Crossrail link , is a major scheme
yet to be started (as at Summer 2004).
The Channel tunnel rail link will terminate at Kings X/St. Pancres -completion
2006/7
Map is not to scale (clearly !) Station placements are relative.
Intra-station distances (rounded to 0.25miles approx)
Kings X/St. Pancres - Liverpool Street : 2 miles
Liverpool Steet - London Bridge : 1 mile
London Bridge - Waterloo : 1.25 miles
Waterloo - Victoria : 1.5 miles
Victoria - Paddington : 2.25 miles
Paddington - Marylebone : 0.75 miles
Marylebone - Euston : 1.5 miles
Euston - Kings X/ St. Pancres : 0.25 miles
Total Length of Line : 10.5 miles.
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Taxation issues
Speed cameras : removed on principle, an annoying tax, defeated by technology.
Cars : speed limiting as standard in new cars.
Motorways, standard 80mph limit
Taxation of vehicles - requires a serious rethink.
New vehicles to be taxed differently, depending upon demand and overall
prices (something along the lines of current interest rate policy)
Fuel tax : equalise fuel duty to euro country levels.
Road tax : abolish - it is an inefficient means of taxation, costly to
administer.
Road Tolls - London, and other proposed areas - SCRAP.
Tolls are an inefficient way of
raising revenue. Tolls have a negligible effect on personal choice on travel -most
people do not choose to travel to a place depending on the cost of getting
there.
Company rail fares : Unregulate ALL rail companies. They should be free to
determine their own fares- otherwise how are they meant to fund upgrades ? Did
the UK Govt dictate to British Airways what it should charge its customers when
it was privatised ? It is crazy for a private company to be forced to keep fares
low, and then for the same Govt. that enforced the low fares to then complain
that the Rail companies have not invested in new capital spending.
Freedom of movement is one of the
most important liberties we have. However, central Government will need to take
a more active role in shaping and making use of the latest technologies, if
travelling across the UK (and beyond) shall remain an opportunity that every
citizen may have. The transport network which is at saturation point, requires
now only an upgrading of existing routes, but a whole network of
new routes are required. The rail network is a particularly important issue for
many working people that commute each day to work, it is time the UK had its first Maglev train line
route. Image being able to travel from London to Birmingham in just 15 minutes -
isn't that an enticing thought for today's
commuter ?
Links
Network Rail - the UK non-profit
company that manages the UK railway network
Strategic Rail Authority - The UK
organisation that monitors the state of the UK rail network
East London line upgrade - A fine example
of the merits of upgrading the existing underground network
Trans-rapid International - German company, forwarding the
development of Maglev trains across the world
Swiss Metro - Europe's most innovative
transport consortium, which aims for a euro-wide maglev metro network - even
including the UK
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Page last updated :
08/10/2004
