Thanks, David. Good to hear from you. But please help me!
It was an enormous, tragic mistake getting rid of all the excellent trams and trolley buses in the 1950/60s. In the UK, just about everywhere except Blackpool Trams.
It was an enormous tragic mistake to then, literally, break up one third of the railway network that Beeching very properly closed as we all deserted the trains and bought cars. I'm sure Beeching never intended them to be wiped off the face of the earth for roads, every kind of building imaginable and, from the 80s, turned into tramways at the most colossal expense compared with reinstating the freight and passenger trains that had been so successful for 100 years.
TRAMS GET TOP PRIORITY OVER TRAINS BEING REINSTATED, that rarely happens! Hence, the poor railway provision for years in northern England. Hundreds of millions went on Metrolink and the Supertram in Sheffield as we did nothing to modernise "the very Victorian railway network" (Sir David Higgins, Chief Exec of Network Rail in an interview on the 'Today' programme in 2013.)
M6 Toll was £21 m/Km when opened in Dec 2003. 1.7 Kms Eastside Metro is now £144 m/Km to be opened in 2027/28.
In 20 years of waste, metal thieves have nicked the railway lines in this photo! Plans, now for a cycle-walkway between Brownhills and Lichfield.
As a result, we have more freight on our motorways, more cars on our roads, more congestion, more greenhouse gas emissions literally alongside or near to once superb, fast railway lines. And we still have the 120 Kms Black Country Railway
that even after the idiocy of a total of 8.7 Kms being given over to LR and VLR in Dudley, still has 47 Kms available for goods and commuter trains once more between Stourbridge Jct and Burton on Trent. This is the HS2 Brum to Manchester more sensible alternative than that climate worsening and nature depleting High Scam 2.
Please read the above, David and tell me what you think. Your feedback and opinion is important. Have you asked if I can come to a Railfuture Committee meeting? PLEASE! There needs to be dialogue and urgent restoration of our 100 Kms of railway lines still available for commuter, regional trains. See their/your brilliant map:
Plus text as to what the authorities STILL need to do!
All the best
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