What improvements would you make if the railways were built today?

[GRALISTAIR]

Since when have human beings been rational?

 

[Ploughman]

Short of land to build a railway on?
Then double deck it over a Motorway.

 

[furnessvale]

Short of land to build a railway on?
Then double deck it over a Motorway.

No need for that. Just take over the redundant third lane as the excess traffic transfers to rail!

 

[jopsuk]

Please no!
Give me surface trams rather than underground any day.

I do like surface rail, looking out the windows- but operationally imagine the benefit of a commuter network almost immune to snow, immune to soft rails in the heat, immune to car drivers jumping crossings, less likely to suffer from floods and landslips and even, with platform doors, protected much more against trespass, vandalism and cable theft.

Not without its downsides- maintenance works are much harder in tunnels

 

[Altfish]

I do like surface rail, looking out the windows- but operationally imagine the benefit of a commuter network almost immune to snow, immune to soft rails in the heat, immune to car drivers jumping crossings, less likely to suffer from floods and landslips and even, with platform doors, protected much more against trespass, vandalism and cable theft.

Not without its downsides- maintenance works are much harder in tunnels

Well I hear what you say but how often as the town centre section of Manchester Metrolink suffered any of the apocalyptic crises you list? Flooding is a lot worse in tunnels, LU is only not under water because of constant pumping 24/7
My father who is late 80s will not use the underground, hates the tunnels and escalators but will happily jump on a tram (Unless he's going to Piccadilly)

 

[Tim M]

An essential prerequisite is to have politicians and a government that can and will make long term decisions about the infrastructure needed to serve the best interests of the country as a whole.

 

[Senex]

An essential prerequisite is to have politicians and a government that can and will make long term decisions about the infrastructure needed to serve the best interests of the country as a whole.

Absolutely! But how do you get that when you have politicians whose only focus is on the next general election in a system that every few years swings violently from one sort of politics to another? It's not just infrastructure in Britain that suffers from the inability to plan for the long term and then see those plans through (modifying as necessary on the way, of course, in the light of changing circumstances). The NHS, or pensions provision, would be other good examples.