[Closed] Chunnel costing tax payers

Well, strictly speaking, not the Chunnel (i.e. the tunnel itself); it's about the high speed rail line from the tunnel into London.

Closing it would be absurd, then you're just wasting all the money that's been spent on it already.

Saying that, the figures for HS2 look optimistic at best. However, very little has been spent on this infrastructure in this country for the last fifty years and unfortunately the bullet needs to be bitten and the money needs to be spent. Railways especially are in a large part still Victorian.

You just need to look to the continent and see what the quality of the road and rail infrastructure should be like. Admittedly, thanks to the Luftwaffe, the RAF and the USAF, they did basically start from a clean slate...

does the M5 make money or does it cost the tax payer money? there are times when you have to spend money for a greater economic good.

It is something politicians seem to be very bad at, joined up thinking.

How much is PFI actually going to cost in comparison to having gone through the books?

However, very little has been spent on this infrastructure in this country for the last fifty years and unfortunately the bullet needs to be bitten and the money needs to be spent. Railways especially are in a large part still Victorian.

They may be Victorian but not from want of money though. In 2010-2011 railways received 33% of UK govt transport expenditure compared to 41% on roads. Railways carry a small fraction of passenger journeys compared to roads.

Chart on page 2 at

Uk road expenditure in 2010-2011 was 9 billion. Vehicles Excise Duty and Fuel Tax raised 33 billion. Perhaps rather than more railways - a Victorian transport system - we need more roads?

Uk road expenditure in 2010-2011 was 9 billion. Vehicles Excise Duty and Fuel Tax raised 33 billion. Perhaps rather than more railways - a Victorian transport system - we need more roads?

And how much do we really spend on roads? police, lighting, accidents, etc. How much do we loose in lost time due to congestion, etc.

Nothing is ever simple, nothing is ever clear cut.

Well i'm not going to be using it for a while. I'm off to Paris next week and a return ticket for 2 people from Crewe through to Paris is over 600 quid!! I thought it was supposed to be public transport not just for he rich.

very little has been spent on this infrastructure in this country for the last fifty years and unfortunately the bullet needs to be bitten and the money needs to be spent. Railways especially are in a large part still Victorian.

The irony of this is the Victorians wanted to build something very similar to Hs2, i.e. a rail line linking London to the North with continental guage tracks (which are the same as brittish ones, just wider spaced so british trains work in France, but not vice versa)

hey may be Victorian but not from want of money though. In 2010-2011 railways received 33% of UK govt transport expenditure compared to 41% on roads. Railways carry a small fraction of passenger journeys compared to roads.

And do you have the freight numbers?

The Chunnel is well useful and fast for getting to Jonny Foreigner land..... IF you are in a car!

The rail links to it are next to useless if:

a) you want to take any significant luggage (e.g. a bike and everything you need for a couple of weeks holiday)

b) you live more than spitting distance from a station on the mainline (i.e most of the population)

S

Uk road expenditure in 2010-2011 was 9 billion. Vehicles Excise Duty and Fuel Tax raised 33 billion.

[url= http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/table1-2.pdf ]Tobacco and Alcohol tax receipts were over £17.7 billion[/url] and as far as I know NONE of it was spent on building pubs or tobacconists. Shocking.

What about the £50 billion that was handed to the banks the other day in the form of Quantitive Easing. Money better spent on infrastructure IMO

Tobacco and Alcohol tax receipts were over £17.7 billion and as far as I know NONE of it was spent on building pubs or tobacconists. Shocking

Quite right too. Can't be expected to rule the country without a decent sherry to hand.

Eurostar is great! Went skiing with them in march, ten miles down the road to Ashford, then non-stop to Bourg St Maurice. 7 hours door to door so quicker and cheaper than flying with no weight restrictions. Happy days!