Scottish Infrastructure

[Highland Capital]

One thing about Scotland is that is that it really suffered from poor decisions in the 60s and 70s.  Probably hundreds of miles of railway line torn up, entire tram networks ended and that's before we get onto old buildings demolished to build concrete monstrosities.  

If the Beeching Cuts had never happened, we'd probably we heralded around the world as a country with a great rail network.

[invergowrie arab]

5 hours ago, Detournement said:

I've only been once but it was class. A 25 minute flight from Glasgow with a drinks service and checked in a city centre hotel within 30 minutes of landing. 

Licensing laws are even worse than here though. 

Going to do that next time. I could walk from my front door to Dundee airport and be ordering a Guinness within 2 hours of leaving the house.

Easily worth the extra money to save me trailing to Edinburgh/Glasgow

[101]

6 hours ago, invergowrie arab said:

Belfast international is a corporation bus that stops in the fucking villages nearby

  Reveal hidden contents

There might be an express bus and I was probably too tight to pay for it.

 

I got the express bus which turned into a commuter bus by stopping in some random park and ride and filling up and then getting stuck in traffic. 

3 hours ago, jamamafegan said:

A positive story?

Timber moved by rail for first time in a decade https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-54117185

It’s mad that we aren’t utilising railways more for freight instead of having massive lorry’s trundling up and down the narrow and winding roads north of Inverness. Safer, less busier roads and presumably more environmentally friendly.

Get it all on the back of a train.

That's one of the good things with the new Levenmouth railway, the diagio plant are looking to utilise it for freight which will cut down on a huge amount of lorries on the minor roads in Fife until they get on the regional road.

[101]

https://www.transport.gov.scot/future-public-engagement/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=big+september

 

Public Engagement on Scottish roads^^

[TheScarf]

On 14/09/2020 at 13:59, invergowrie arab said:

The A9 is never getting dualled is it?

It has taken about 3 years to do the piece of piss building through fields section  from Stanley to Dukes Pass.

There are bits that will need new bridges over water and others that will need either major rerouting or blasting through cliff faces. 

5 years and one fucking section completed. It’s meant to be all done in 5 years time. 

[jamamafegan]

5 years and one fucking section completed. It’s meant to be all done in 5 years time. [emoji23]

The time it’s taken them to duel probably the easiest section of all, one can only imagine how long it will take to complete sections passing the likes of Dunkeld and Pitlochry where there’s options for digging tunnels and extending the Faskally Bridge. Progress is painfully slow.

[invergowrie arab]

The entire route is available to view on YouTube but I'm not sure if these are the actual plans or just options that were suggested in the planning stages.

The mad underground shit they have planned for Birnam would be cool but would pribably take another 20 years at this rate

 

[Sergeant Wilson]

6 minutes ago, jamamafegan said:

 

The time it’s taken them to duel probably the easiest section of all, one can only imagine how long it will take to complete sections passing the likes of Dunkeld and Pitlochry where there’s options for digging tunnels and extending the Faskally Bridge. Progress is painfully slow.

 

Someone needs shot!

[Shandon Par]

3 minutes ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

Someone needs shot!

His English teacher.

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

The entire route is available to view on YouTube but I'm not sure if these are the actual plans or just options that were suggested in the planning stages.
The mad underground shit they have planned for Birnam would be cool but would pribably take another 20 years at this rate
 

Finally I've got something I can tenuously claim to be ITK about! I've spoken to somebody actually involved in the project. He says they think that the big roundabout outside Dunkeld will happen, but no chance of the big tunnel (too expensive). The good townsfolk of Dunkeld & Birnam will be getting a new bridge to the station instead.

[jamamafegan]

Finally I've got something I can tenuously claim to be ITK about! I've spoken to somebody actually involved in the project. He says they think that the big roundabout outside Dunkeld will happen, but no chance of the big tunnel (too expensive). The good townsfolk of Dunkeld & Birnam will be getting a new bridge to the station instead.

Where are they going to put the new carriageway then? Theres barely any room between the town and the station.

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

Where are they going to put the new carriageway then? Theres barely any room between the town and the station.

They'll think of something.

[ajwffc]

1 hour ago, jamamafegan said:

 

Where are they going to put the new carriageway then? Theres barely any room between the town and the station.

 

The plan at one point was to put the road through the current station site and move the station 

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

5 hours ago, jamamafegan said:

 

Where are they going to put the new carriageway then? Theres barely any room between the town and the station.

 

I think you mentioned it before on this thread but do road workers actually ever do any work on the roads? Is it purely a coincidence that when I pass them the majority are standing with their hands on their hips? Seems a decent job like, getting paid to stand around all day doing f**k all.

[weirdcal]

Whilst enjoying the read I'd like to point out that after moving to Ireland, they absolutely fucked their train network, completely fucked it to be brutally honest.
Very limited rail lines outside Dublin being the hub for all things.
Some of the main network roads (at least here in Cork) are classed similar to A roads in Scotland, some I wouldn't accuse of being on par with B routes.
However, if I get on the road at Cork, it is at least dual carriageway all the way to Belfast (port or george best) so that's a bonus.

And if you ever want to really moan about infrastructure, we are now 4 years into the bandon flood defence project, town last flooded a month ago. The main road, full of patches, bumps, holes and other suspension testing bits after all the work on it, has miraculously still to have drains installed but not to worry, they have closed the overtaking lane for the 3 times a day the lazy fecks actually cross it with the dredged stones to deepen the river.

How I miss being stuck on the Edinburgh bypass whilst rubber neckers are looking at the latest failed attempt to jump the queue

[Jacksgranda]

22 minutes ago, weirdcal said:

Whilst enjoying the read I'd like to point out that after moving to Ireland, they absolutely fucked their train network, completely fucked it to be brutally honest.
Very limited rail lines outside Dublin being the hub for all things.
Some of the main network roads (at least here in Cork) are classed similar to A roads in Scotland, some I wouldn't accuse of being on par with B routes.
However, if I get on the road at Cork, it is at least dual carriageway all the way to Belfast (port or george best) so that's a bonus.

And if you ever want to really moan about infrastructure, we are now 4 years into the bandon flood defence project, town last flooded a month ago. The main road, full of patches, bumps, holes and other suspension testing bits after all the work on it, has miraculously still to have drains installed but not to worry, they have closed the overtaking lane for the 3 times a day the lazy fecks actually cross it with the dredged stones to deepen the river.

How I miss being stuck on the Edinburgh bypass whilst rubber neckers are looking at the latest failed attempt to jump the queue

No more EU money, now that RoI is a net contributor.

The difference between the roads down south in 1973 and now is night and day, to be fair.

[weirdcal]

No more EU money, now that RoI is a net contributor.
The difference between the roads down south in 1973 and now is night and day, to be fair.

Tbh I get the stories from those at work at how long it used to take to go from Cork to just north of Dublin. The last 15(?) years has seen remarkable leaps and bounds on the roads. In fact the last 3 mean I will never ever have to leave a main road at gort ever ever again.

[Jacksgranda]

1 minute ago, weirdcal said:

9 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said:

No more EU money, now that RoI is a net contributor.
The difference between the roads down south in 1973 and now is night and day, to be fair.

Tbh I get the stories from those at work at how long it used to take to go from Cork to just north of Dublin. The last 15(?) years has seen remarkable leaps and bounds on the roads. In fact the last 3 mean I will never ever have to leave a main road at gort ever ever again.

Aye, they're terrible drivers down there...

[weirdcal]

1 hour ago, Jacksgranda said:

Aye, they're terrible drivers down there...

Blind corner and middle of road is common. 

Ironically I did have a very close encounter earlier at a roundabout when someone pulled out on me as I was almost on top of them. Luckily it was one of those flat ones just painted on the road and I was able to swerve onto it whilst braking to avoid them. They ended a full car length over the stop line. Too busy chatting to their passenger to watch for car indicating right and heading right. 

Some old duffers should be nowhere  ear the roads here, I believe a lot didn't need to pass a test or drive with a qualified driver. 

[welshbairn]

2 hours ago, Jacksgranda said:

No more EU money, now that RoI is a net contributor.

The difference between the roads down south in 1973 and now is night and day, to be fair.

They'll still get money pouring into rural counties though. Cornwall and bits of Wales were getting big projects funded by the EU while UK was a net contributor, didn't stop them voting leave though, the numpties. As did the Highlands, no more though.