Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Deluded fools

Goods news for fans of Guided bus routes.

This from Portsmouth Today...

A high-speed bus route on a disused railway track is set to get county approval tomorrow.


The £20m transport link between Gosport and Fareham looks likely to get backing from Hampshire County Council to reduce congestion on the busy A32.

Lets hope they can actually afford passenger facilities for this one.


UPDATE: Brynley writes...

A cconventional busway or a Guided Bus?

Conventional, I think.

This Fareham-Gosport trackbed was to be the tram route to Portsmouth.

Now intending travellers will have to go bus-ferry-bus to Portsmouth City Centre which is not much better than the present arrangement.

Perhaps it makes sense at the Fareham end?



Why the railways cost so much

This from the Press and Journal...

Scottish train operator First ScotRail, which put up many of its fares by 6% at the start of this year, has reported a 60% jump in profits

An unnamed director received emoluments and pension contributions totalling £466,351 in the latest period, up nearly 70% from the £276,595 payout its best-paid boss received in 2006-07.

Here's a novel thought!

Perhaps if Train Operating Companies paid their fat-cat directors and greedy owner groups rather less, then maybe the railways wouldn't be so bloody expensive to run?