Scottish Infrastructure

[Jacksgranda]

On 24/01/2021 at 09:03, LongTimeLurker said:

People tend to forget that Edinburgh also had a tram network in that era:

Looks like one of those London Underground maps.

[TheScarf]

https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/progress-update-on-a9-dualling-crubenmore-to-kincraig-scheme/

Couple of weeks old, but I see the RSPB and Transport Scotland have come to an agreement on how to protect the wildlife on the Crumenmore to Kincraig stretch. How's it looking down at the Luncarty bit?  Was there when I was heading down to Fife for a funeral in September and it seemed pretty far on.

Will we see the second stretch of dual carriageway opened this year?  

[RiG]

15 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

How's it looking down at the Luncarty bit?  Was there when I was heading down to Fife for a funeral in September and it seemed pretty far on.

Will we see the second stretch of dual carriageway opened this year?  

It is meant to be open by Spring 2021 IIRC. The majority of the bridge work seems to be in place and you are now driving on parts of the new carriageway whilst they tear up the old parts of the A9 and lay the new surface for that on the other side.

[vikingTON]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55931873

Scotland has to be looking to follow this up with multiple similar projects ASAP. As prime real estate for mass wind energy goes, a rock perched between 55 and 60 degrees North at the end of the Atlantic Ocean, with an enormous coastline, ticks every box. Scottish citizens should have both free electricity and water thanks to our abundant natural resources, with the surplus being exported to less fortunate countries (e.g. England).

[ICTChris]

I see a Tory councillor for Edinburgh Pentlands has gone viral with her complaints about the new cycle lane on Lanark Road. I’ve seen quite a few local complaints about the withdrawal of parking, there are people who don’t have driveways on the route, others who say elderly peoples careers won’t have anywhere to park. There are also a few nurseries, a dance studio and a couple of football clubs on the route.  The design is for floating parking, the cycle lane is next to the pavement, then the parking, then the road so you are always opening your door into traffic, either cars or bikes potentially.

Overall though, I don’t mind it. I think a lot of the complainers just like complaining. I have dropped my son at nursery with no problems since they’ve brought this in, you just have to take care when opening your doors which you had to do anyway. There are far fewer cars parked there, which makes the drop off much easier. I’m sure it’s a relative inconvenience for people who parked there previously but overall it’s fine for me. Not sure how it’ll work when kids football is back and there are people parking near the pitches.

[Newbornbairn]

Are there any plans to continue the dualling of the A92 past Glenrothes and up to Dundee? 

[Juanhourjoe]

Denmark really taking a lead I'm the future tech, at the moment. Can we get some of these set up in our cities. Seen a Scottish company was look to set up a few of these sorts of towers. Albeit on a much smaller scale.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20201207-a-wind-powered-vertical-farm-giant-urban-farm-opens-in-denmark

[LongTimeLurker]

10 hours ago, virginton said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55931873

Scotland has to be looking to follow this up with multiple similar projects ASAP. As prime real estate for mass wind energy goes, a rock perched between 55 and 60 degrees North at the end of the Atlantic Ocean, with an enormous coastline, ticks every box. Scottish citizens should have both free electricity and water thanks to our abundant natural resources, with the surplus being exported to less fortunate countries (e.g. England).

Sad to see this linked to narrow nationalism like this but not surprising on here. This sort of stuff never gets explained properly by new outlets like the BBC as it would blow some peoples (think Swedish teenagers) fear porn narratives out of the water. Unlike 20 years ago when massive subsidies were required, wind and solar are now at grid parity and provide cheaper electricity production than fossil fuels and nuclear.

That means the only technical obstacle to eliminating fossil fuels from the energy production system in a manner that saves money and does everything more cheaply (including in transportation once Li ion battery prices decline sufficiently) is storage to match peaks in demand and supply for when it isn't windy and the sun isn't shining.

The shift to renewables to run modern society has always been first and foremost a technology issue more than a political one. Twenty years ago it wasn't feasible. Now it is on the very cusp of being the new reality. Denmark can hook their wind farms up to Norwegian pumped hydro storage, so they have no problem that way and can plough right on ahead with an investment like this.

Scotland would also need to build a lot more pumped hydro storage in or near the Great Glen like the proposed Coire Glas scheme but it is very much technically feasible in the here and now if we can overcome the weird landscape fetish that a lot of people have about the Highlands any time a new dam or pylon line gets proposed.

If England did this somewhere like the Dogger bank they would be OK on short term storage with Li ion battery technology that has made massive progress over the last five years thanks to the advances with electric cars but there is still a need for longer term storage solutions for locations where pumped hydro storage is not so easy to do to eliminate the role of gas peaking power stations.

Once that missing piece to the puzzle gets sorted and there is plenty of research into solving this issue underway, renewables will dominate with no need for subsidy. At that point fossil fuel use in the energy sector will decline drastically and people who still have mindsets stuck in how things were twenty years ago will have to learn how to be optimistic for a change.

Edited February 7, 2021 by LongTimeLurker

[tamthebam]

Interesting to read about the wind power proposals in Denmark just after seeing a news story "Anglesey site considered for new nuclear power station"

UK energy policy, eh? 

[RiG]

A contract to design and assess the most appropriate plan to redevelop Edinburgh Waverley has been awarded. 

https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/articles/network-rail-awards-ps900k-design-contract-edinburgh-waverley-masterplan

I know that's just an artists impression but exposing most of the station to the elements is probably not going to score highly with people.

[101]

47 minutes ago, RiG said:

A contract to design and assess the most appropriate plan to redevelop Edinburgh Waverley has been awarded. 

https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/articles/network-rail-awards-ps900k-design-contract-edinburgh-waverley-masterplan

I know that's just an artists impression but exposing most of the station to the elements is probably not going to score highly with people.

That's going to be a wind tunnel. It's good that it looks like Waverly bridge will be permanently pedestrianised.

[parsforlife]

1 hour ago, RiG said:

A contract to design and assess the most appropriate plan to redevelop Edinburgh Waverley has been awarded. 

https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/articles/network-rail-awards-ps900k-design-contract-edinburgh-waverley-masterplan

I know that's just an artists impression but exposing most of the station to the elements is probably not going to score highly with people.

Is there a problem with Waverley as it is?

I know there’s talk of issues with flow in/out of the station for trains and that restricts the potential to expand routes into the station,  but unless there is plans to solve those issues then I don’t see why you would spend big sums upgrading the station from a passenger perspective.

 

[ajwffc]

23 minutes ago, parsforlife said:

Is there a problem with Waverley as it is?

I know there’s talk of issues with flow in/out of the station for trains and that restricts the potential to expand routes into the station,  but unless there is plans to solve those issues then I don’t see why you would spend big sums upgrading the station from a passenger perspective.

 

The last time a major upgrade was talked about was to get Network Rail more retail space. You are correct that the capacity problem at Waverley is due to the number of paths in and out of the station that was the reason for platform 5 and 6 getting built. So LNER could keep some more trains in the station during the day and not affect others and save up some paths out of the station towards Craigentinny. 

41 minutes ago, 101 said:

That's going to be a wind tunnel. It's good that it looks like Waverley bridge will be permanently pedestrianised.

it already is a wind tunnel  at least at  track level 

[parsforlife]

6 minutes ago, ajwffc said:

The last time a major upgrade was talked about was to get Network Rail more retail space. You are correct that the capacity problem at Waverley is due to the number of paths in and out of the station that was the reason for platform 5 and 6 getting built. So LNER could keep some more trains in the station during the day and not affect others and save up some paths out of the station towards Craigentinny. 

it already is a wind tunnel  at least at  track level 

Retail space, sakes,  beyond network rail looking to cash in there’s no justification for that, there’s more than enough nearby retail,  It’s city center FFS.  What is unavailable at Waverley that you would expect to find?

[vikingTON]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/14/rail-bosses-revive-plan-to-build-tunnel-from-scotland-to-northern-ireland

1) Rebuild the bulk of the old Dumfries-Castle Douglas-Newton Stewart line for this immediately (sticking to the cost instead of a pointless loop up to New Galloway)

2) Ditch the pointless and expensive tunnel project and run the train onto the ferry instead like the one that goes to Sicily. No more ridiculous 'connecting bus' routes running down to Cairnryan from Ayr either.

Make it happen.

Edited February 19, 2021 by vikingTON

[Hedgecutter]

4 hours ago, RiG said:

A contract to design and assess the most appropriate plan to redevelop Edinburgh Waverley has been awarded. 

https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/articles/network-rail-awards-ps900k-design-contract-edinburgh-waverley-masterplan

I know that's just an artists impression but exposing most of the station to the elements is probably not going to score highly with people.

All fun and games until that glass ceiling gets coated in pigeon shite.

[Newbornbairn]

Does anyone know how much the closures every other week on the A83 cost - both directly in repairs and to the economy? At what point does it become more sensible to do what any European country would do and just build a tunnel?

[Chicken Wing]

All fun and games until that glass ceiling gets coated in pigeon shite.

Like the current one that was finished about 4 years ago. Covered in shite!

[Highland Capital]

1 hour ago, NewBornBairn said:

Does anyone know how much the closures every other week on the A83 cost - both directly in repairs and to the economy? At what point does it become more sensible to do what any European country would do and just build a tunnel?

I was trying to think recently how many tunnels are there in Scotland?  Aside from the Glasgow Subway, some of the Glasgow lines and between Haymarket and Waverley and the Clyde Tunnel there's not many.  I can't think of any between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh and despite being a fairly mountainous region there's only one between Inverness and Perth (around Blair Atholl as I recall).  There'll definitely be some I've forgotten, but even then it's not many.

The Faroese, despite having a population akin to Perth, build tunnels for 300-odd cars a day and do it because they're good for business.  You could propose a tunnel in Scotland for ten times that amount of traffic and people would be against it.

Edited February 19, 2021 by Highland Capital

[Chicken Wing]

I was trying to think recently how many tunnels are there in Scotland?  Aside from the Glasgow Subway, some of the Glasgow lines and between Haymarket and Waverley and the Clyde Tunnel there's not many.  I can't think of any between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh and despite being a fairly mountainous region there's only one between Inverness and Perth (around Blair Atholl as I recall).  There'll definitely be some I've forgotten, but even then it's not many.
The Faroese, despite having a population akin to Perth, build tunnels for 300-odd cars a day and do it because they're good for business.  You could propose a tunnel in Scotland for ten times that amount of traffic and people would be against it.

On the routes I drive with the exception of The mound tunnels (Waverley), Calton tunnels (Waverley), Haymarket tunnels and Queen St tunnel the list is as follows:

Winchburgh, Falkirk High, Kippenross, St Margaret's, Bowshank, Torwoodlee, Inverkeithing, Kinghorn, Eglington St, Carmuirs.

I actually thought there were more!!!

Edit - forgot about North Queensferry