Hatunen wrote:
> On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:48:25 -0800, Furze Platt
>
>
>
>
>
> wrote:
> >On 6 Nov, 21:20, Hatunen wrote:
> >> On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:12:26 -0800, Furze Platt
>
> >> wrote:
> >> >Queen Opens High Speed Rail Link
>
> >> >
>
> >> >The French had their high-speed Channel Tunnel link ready in 1993 - a
> >> >year before the tunnel was officially opened - while the Belgians
> >> >completed their link in the late 1990s.
>
> >> >The UK, however, spent years dithering over the cost and route of its
> >> >link. It meant Eurostar trains could only reach their ultimate 186mph
> >> >speed in France and Belgium, while comparatively crawling through
> >> >south London and Kent.
>
> >> Is the French Eurostar track from Paris to Lille different from
> >> the TGV track? If not, France had it easy since Eurostar only
> >> require trackage from Lille to Calais, which didn't involve
> >> routing through the sort of major metropolitan area the Brit
> >> version had to pass through.
>
> >> I assume, also, that the Belgian track from Lille to Brussels is
> >> both TGV and Eurostar
>
> >I assume that the coming of the channel tunnel must of been a
> >surprise......or perhaps it just shows that they have their head up
> >their arse when it comes to transport ;-)
>
> "Arse"? You seem to be the Brit so you tell me who has their head
> up their arse.
>
> But I would still think the British had a considerably more
> difficult job of decision making than the French, who already had
> track for their TGV that could be used. Not to mention, of
> course, that the UK does not have the same sort of authoritarian
> government that the French do.
The Brits were concerned about possible military uses of the
chunnel...
--
Best
Greg
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