Is the steel wheel on rail under threat?

[Shimbleshanks]

Interesting piece on the BBC website though they seem to muddling up a lot of different concepts and technologies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ne/9617577.stm

[Belmont Road]

It is interesting to compare this with the German attempt at Maglev and the terrible accident that stopped its development.

Don't these guys just love aviation technology, whilst completely ignoring the rising fuel costs that will make such any such machines as this obselete in 50 years.

Rail works, its safe and super fuel efficient. As they say "If it ain't broke don't fix it!"

[Silver Fox Phil]

Saves 10 minutes at the airport going from car park to terminal, so will that mean 10 minutes lost due to the extra influx of passengers now waiting to go through security!!
Interesting technology though and I am sure one day it will be super efficient and may find a place in the future. As long as they keep our heritage railways; we enthusiasts will always find some platform end to hang about on!!!

[Flying Pig]

Originally Posted by The charlatans at the BBC

And safety is the one thing that causes most concern among commuters

Drivelling nonsense. As we all know it's dirty trains and poor timekeeping that commuters care about. It's only the media that bangs on about safety. More people die on the roads in a week than passengers have died on the railway in the last 10 years.

Obviously it's a quiet week at the BBC, and they're letting their journalists do their 'Imagination' thing.

We won't see the end of steel wheels on steel rails in our lifetime. It costs a fortune just to keep the present network stumbling along. What future investments there are will be tied up in ERTMS implementation.

[Belmont Road]

Originally Posted by Flying Pig

Drivelling nonsense. As we all know it's dirty trains and poor timekeeping that commuters care about. It's only the media that bangs on about safety. More people die on the roads in a week than passengers have died on the railway in the last 10 years.

Totally agree!!

The stats are even more impressive. More people are killed on the roads in the UK in one year than the entire deaths that have occured from railway accidents since railways began in the nineteenth century!