A Eurostar train passes near Maidstone, England, on its way to breaking the United Kingdom rail speed record at a recorded speed of 208 miles per hour, (334.74kph) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003.
A Eurostar train passes near Maidstone, England, on its way to breaking the United Kingdom rail speed record at a recorded speed of 208 miles per hour, (334.74kph) on Wednesday, July 30, 2003. ANNA BRANTHWAITE
Opinion

A certain romance about railways

16th Feb 2018 7:00 AM

WELL said Scott Sawyer on Valentine's Day: "Keep the rail dream alive” (Daily, February 14).

There is a romance about railways and rail travel which can become derailed by the accountants.

I was lucky enough to have lived in the age of steam in the UK with soot in your eye and then came along Dr Beeching.

He closed every line that wasn't making money.

The great private rail companies of the UK were nationalised and the spider-like thread of their rail lines brushed aside.

British Rail has efficient, high-speed trains now with connecting infrastructures.

Getting from A to B in quick time by train is useless unless you can quickly continue your journey by other means.

Being stranded in a railway station waiting for a bus makes the high-speed rail connection futile.

I love those wonderful pieces of romantic railway engineering.

LAWRANCE CHADWICK

Marcoola

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News IT WAS fortunate to catch up with Matt Shaw from Launceston at Mood Food, the 24-hour Caltex truck stop at Kempton, the other day as we amassed our final copy for Big...