Scottish Infrastructure

[Enigma]

That’s incredible, never knew about that line. Get it opened.

Not quite so simple. I don’t think there’s much of an issue in the line itself, it wouldn’t cost a huge lot to get stations reopened etc. I believe the problem is lack of any capacity for more trains through from Haymarket to Waverley and then also on the East Coast Main Line section.

[Boostin' Kev]

Roadworks here are a disgrace.  People should be working on that shit day and night imo.  Certain areas get shut off again months after being previously shut off.  

[effeffsee_the2nd]

As someone who has spent most of my working life commuting from Falkirk to West Lothian, could I also suggest the oft-proposed bridge at the Avon Gorge?
It's mental stuff that a major thoroughfare between two of Scotland's main motorways used by HGVs is reduced to a single lane, narrow, windy A-Road that's prone to flooding.
West Lothian started to build an access road to the bridge but Falkirk didn't. There are rumours that the guy who owns the chalets on the Falkirk side refused to sell off the land.

Apparently this is finally going to get done, well before covid came along so maybe the money will just evaporate!
Seriously tho. Most countries have populated areas, rural / mountainous areas and outlying towns wnd cities , many also have islands offthe coast. We are pish compared to our first world counterparts. Our only proper 3lane motorway starts 30 mile south of glasgow and runs away from the population centres towards England, the rest are needing widened and upgraded. The M8, M9 and M80 should be three lanes, roads from Stirling & Edinburgh to perth dundee Aberdeen and Inverness should be motorway the full way, Aberdeen to Inverness should be dual. The train lines should be electric aswell. A proper country would manage that

[Boostin' Kev]

Sounds a bit shite but I'm glad Fife isn't connected to Leith/Porty.  

[The Moonster]

1 hour ago, Boostin' Kev said:

Roadworks here are a disgrace.  People should be working on that shit day and night imo.  Certain areas get shut off again months after being previously shut off.  

Absolutely this. I always remember this report at the time after the earthquake in Japan, the below road took 6 days to be transformed from the pic on the left to the right:

 

I know it seems naive to say that all roadworkers are workshy c***s but considering half of them seem to work less hours than children at school I struggle to not be naive in this situation.

Any roadworkers on here? Explain yourselves. Why are we shite at roadworks?

 

[Hedgecutter]

3 hours ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

Inverness Airport is getting a railway platform at some point, but it will be the same situation as Aberdeen with the station being on the opposite side of the runway to the terminal.

3 hours ago, welshbairn said:

Aberdeen is really annoying, they've even cancelled the shuttle bus, last time I was there the options were one bus, change, another bus, or walk/taxi. 

Unless you're travelling to Aberdeen airport from Inverness way then it would be madness to go to the airport via Dyce station which is a fairly irregular service just to get you into a taxi queue.

For the last 5 years or so there's been a reliable airport bus that gets you from Union Square (i.e. right next door to the train station) to the front door of the airport in 40 mins (every 20 mins), for the grand total of ~£3.50.  There's been some criticism that it stops at numerous stops inbetween to double as a standard service, but realistically it only adds on 10 mins (and is somewhat handy for most Aberdonians wanting to get to their local airport).  Mental that up until then you needed to get a taxi to the airport if you weren't taking your own car to the long stay parking area.   Probably pissed the taxi drivers off to no end, but taxi fares had been extortionate for years, so f*** 'em*.

 

*I've had a bee in my bonnet about taxi drivers ever since one turned up late and I had to pay for the novelty of missing a train at Dyce, which meant I missed my trains for Lairg to catch the only bus of the day up to the NW Highlands.  By the time I'd got to my destination partly by hitch-hiking and a 5 mile hike with about 40kg of kit, it would genuinely have been quicker to fly from Aberdeen to Cape Town.   That said, at least the Aberdeen taxis don't skim your credit card and spend your money buying multiple season tickets at a cinema near Stellenbosch. 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Hedgecutter

[welshbairn]

2 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

Unless you're travelling to Aberdeen airport from Inverness way then it would be madness to go to the airport via Dyce station which is a fairly irregular service just to get you into a taxi queue.

Even from Inverness I'd pass Dyce and get the Union Square bus. Unless it's an early flight then a cheap room at the Hallmark in Dyce with a free shuttle.

[Hedgecutter]

Just now, welshbairn said:

Even from Inverness I'd pass Dyce and get the Union Square bus. Unless it's an early flight then a cheap room at the Hallmark in Dyce with a free shuttle.

Unless BP book out that entire hotel for their offshore quarantine, which they have done for the past few months and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  

[G51]

2 hours ago, Florentine_Pogen said:

From today's Guardian. Presumably many H&I communities are stuck in this situation with BT ?

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/sep/14/bt-broadband-bills-could-reach-100000-for-rural-users

EDIT : Just come across this :-

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jul/29/millions-of-rural-homes-in-uk-to-get-next-generation-full-fibre-broadband

Love the idea that Thurso is a "rural" community. There's 8,000 people living there FFS.

Durness is a rural community. John O' Groats is a rural community. Thurso is a town.

 

[Hedgecutter]

2 hours ago, Florentine_Pogen said:

From today's Guardian. Presumably many H&I communities are stuck in this situation with BT ?

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/sep/14/bt-broadband-bills-could-reach-100000-for-rural-users

Pffft.  Back in day folk would dig their own 4 mile long trenches just to get TV for the 1978 World Cup, never mind broadband.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2pcFNj7svVLpprgYMlD3WYs/the-remote-village-so-desperate-to-watch-the-world-cup-that-they-dug-a-trench-and-ran-a-cable-all-the-way-up-a-mountain

[Carnoustie Young Guvnor]

Scotland's infrastructure is horrifically shite cause we're governed by another country who couldn't give the slightest f**k about us. That's the reality of the situation, if you don't accept that you're just living in denial. Go to Scandinavia and see what they have, there is no reason, absolutely no reason whatsoever, we couldn't have the same.

[Hedgecutter]

9 minutes ago, G51 said:

John O' Groats is a rural community.

Seeing as we're talking about infrastructure, I've yet to meet somebody in John O'Groats with a practical need to know how far away New York is.  Directions to Portskerra or Bettyhill would have been far more useful, but that's the authorities for you.

[G51]

4 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

Seeing as we're talking about infrastructure, I've yet to meet somebody in John O'Groats with a practical need to know how far away New York is.  Directions to Portskerra or Bettyhill would have been far more useful, but that's the authorities for you.

The directions for Bettyhill are pretty straightforward tbh, keep heading west on the only road out until you hit it.

There's a similar sign in Dublin showing direction and distance to places like Glasgow. Can't see how that would ever be useful unless you're a Captain on the Liffey with a lot of ambition.

Edited September 14, 2020 by G51

[GNU_Linux]

Monorail.

[Boostin' Kev]

Patiently waiting for someone on here to own up to being a road 'worker'. 

[RiG]

19 hours ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

There are plans afoot to get rid of diesel trains. There's not a chance in hell the line between Perth and Inverness will be electrified by 2035 though.

https://www.railjournal.com/policy/scotland-unveils-rail-carbon-reduction-plans/

https://www.gov.scot/news/ambitious-plans-to-transform-scottish-rail-network-unveiled/

We still haven't gotten the improved rail services between the Highlands and Edinburgh / Glasgow that were proposed back in 2013 (?) by Salmond so, as you say, there will be no chance of electrification between Perth and Inverness in the next 15 years.

4 hours ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

Inverness Airport is getting a railway platform at some point, but it will be the same situation as Aberdeen with the station being on the opposite side of the runway to the terminal.

And far enough away from the new development at Tornagrain that anyone who might be tempted to use it will likely just stay in their car and head west rather than go to the station at Dalcross for a train to Inverness.

[welshbairn]

8 minutes ago, Boostin' Kev said:

Patiently waiting for someone on here to own up to being a road 'worker'. 

I quite fancy it myself, playing around with all these huge Dinky toys.

[Hedgecutter]

19 minutes ago, Boostin' Kev said:

Patiently waiting for someone on here to own up to being a road 'worker'. 

An older friend of mine said the greatest job he ever had was putting up netting and stabilising rock faces along the A82.  Folk on ropes swinging back and forward to get skins and smokeable substances of ill-repute.  Basically, half the netting there was put up by rope access mercenaries who were pretty much stoned at 2am. 

Eta: he also said that BEAR (or whatever the equivalent was back then) said to them all "what's your rate?" and just paid them the first (overinflated) figure that they were given.

Edited September 14, 2020 by Hedgecutter

[Jacksgranda]

19 minutes ago, GNU_Linux said:

Monorail.

Who are they playing?

[Hedgecutter]

Just now, Jacksgranda said:

Who are they playing?

Lokomotiv Moscow?