How important is saving twenty minutes?

[Snoopy]

That is what the "new" line between London and Paris can save the traveller ~ or put it another way you can reach Paris (strikes permitting) by rail from London twenty minutes sooner than you have been able to do before.
But why would you want to "save" that twenty minutes. Surely the greatest pleasure of travel is the journey, not the arrival ~ which is usually a disappointment.  Are we so desperate to be embraced by the vagaries of Parisian traffic, taxi drivers, metro muggers etc that we really need this "extra" twenty minutes when the money spent on it would have provided a hospital or two, could have ungraded public transport in London or many rural communities where such things are important.
To be parochial this village of 2500 souls is about to lose its Surgery as it has been decided that it is no longer cost effective to keep it open. Add to the 2500 residents there are a further 2000 who live in the farms, hamlets and other villages in this area that also have now to face a longer journey to an alternative surgery. The money spent on saving a few hundred people a year twenty minutes of travel time (If you want to get there that quickly ~ fly FFS!) could have provided this community with a local GP for many years to come ~ as it is Pensioners without a car face a three hour round trip involving four buses to get the five miles to the nearest alternative surgery just to get a flu jab!

[Darwins Selection]

Agreed.
One man's progess is another man's white elephant/albatross.

Adding 20 years to the journey time to Paris would be a better idea.

[Uncle Mort]

The money spent on saving a few hundred people a year twenty minutes of travel time

A few hundred? I don't think so.

Link

8.3 million – number of passengers Eurostar expects to carry in current financial year.

[Darwins Selection]

The money spent on saving a few hundred people a year twenty minutes of travel time

A few hundred? I don't think so.

Link

8.3 million – number of passengers Eurostar expects to carry in current financial year.

No, no Uncle.

That is how many illegals they expect to bring in, hanging on under the carriages.

[Snoopy]

The money spent on saving a few hundred people a year twenty minutes of travel time

A few hundred? I don't think so.

Link

8.3 million – number of passengers Eurostar expects to carry in current financial year.

It still doesn't justify ~ in my opinion ~ the spending of £5.8 billion.
Now we could play with the maths and multiply all those "Expected" (Read "Hoped for") passengers by 20 minutes and come up with a total "time saved" but that is worthless unless that time is put to some good use, which in this case it will not be ~ I suspect much of it will be spent queuing to get into Disney World.
That £5.8 billion could have been put to better use is what I am saying.

[Nick]

Our Post Office is scheduled for closure. We are currently being "consulted" abut this. No one is going to write in and say "Yes. Close it", so one assumes that we will all write and say "No. Keep it open". Consultation done they will then close it.

[Snoopy]

Exactly the same as our surgery ~ "consultation underway" when we all know it's a done deal. They've even sold the premises "subject to planning consent for change of use"

[Mark]

It's because you are one of the people in the street who no longer matter.

All that matters now is the perceived idea that bigger, faster, cost more is better.

If something, the olympic stadium for example, cost £billions it is therefore better and more important than something costing a couple £00,000, your doctors surgery.


Mark

[Barman]

I can see the justification for the 20 minute saving – a reduction in the journey time might reduce journeys by air thus saving the planet and will help insure that London remains an important business centre – thus fulfilling the countries need to grow the economy, blah, ferking, blah, etc.

The fact is tho that you can’t grow the economy while still reducing emissions – the filthy lying cheating politicians the world over need to square that circle and decide which is more important. Or perhaps more importantly how they are going to continue to remain in power while shrinking their economies.

Further to that I can see no justification whatsoever for spending on transport links, the Olympics, or anything else until simple necessities like healthcare are adequately provided.

[Snoopy]

I can see the justification for the 20 minute saving – a reduction in the journey time might reduce journeys by air thus saving the planet and will help insure that London remains an important business centre – thus fulfilling the countries need to grow the economy, blah, ferking, blah, etc.

The fact is tho that you can’t grow the economy while still reducing emissions – the filthy lying cheating politicians the world over need to square that circle and decide which is more important. Or perhaps more importantly how they are going to continue to remain in power while shrinking their economies.

Further to that I can see no justification whatsoever for spending on transport links, the Olympics, or anything else until simple necessities like healthcare are adequately provided.

I see what you are saying but in truth the comparison with air travel was a silly one for me to make as it takes two hours to check in let alone the flight time and the performance at the other end of trying to get into Paris.
No the truth is "We" don't count. as you are all making clear.

[Barman]

I can see the justification for the 20 minute saving – a reduction in the journey time might reduce journeys by air thus saving the planet and will help insure that London remains an important business centre – thus fulfilling the countries need to grow the economy, blah, ferking, blah, etc.

The fact is tho that you can’t grow the economy while still reducing emissions – the filthy lying cheating politicians the world over need to square that circle and decide which is more important. Or perhaps more importantly how they are going to continue to remain in power while shrinking their economies.

Further to that I can see no justification whatsoever for spending on transport links, the Olympics, or anything else until simple necessities like healthcare are adequately provided.

I see what you are saying but in truth the comparison with air travel was a silly one for me to make as it takes two hours to check in let alone the flight time and the performance at the other end of trying to get into Paris.
No the truth is "We" don't count. as you are all making clear.

Yes, I'm afraid those in power don't give a toss...

After all, when was the last time most politicians had to use the NHS – or a post office for that matter?

[Uncle Mort]

I'm not the one playing with maths. There's a BIG difference between a 'few hundred people' and eight million so all I'm saying is don't argue from a false premise.

Yes, money could be spent on running your surgery, but we all want taxes spent on us and not some other chap and every Tom, Dick and Harry can 'justify' why it should be them and not someone else.

There is more money wasted on on projects with little or no gain (I.D. cards for example) so why complain about the Eurostar where at least there is a return for the investment.

As to local Post Offices, how many of us use them so much that we honestly care whether they close or not?

[Snoopy]

I'm not the one playing with maths. There's a BIG difference between a 'few hundred people' and eight million so all I'm saying is don't argue from a false premise.

Yes, money could be spent on running your surgery, but we all want taxes spent on us and not some other chap and every Tom, Dick and Harry can 'justify' why it should be them and not someone else.

There is more money wasted on on projects with little or no gain (I.D. cards for example) so why complain about the Eurostar where at least there is a return for the investment.

As to local Post Offices, how many of us use them so much that we honestly care whether they close or not?

 

[Uncle Mort]

 

[Mr Happy]

Save time, don't travel to/from London.  20 minutes is about the average time to drive a mile!

The point is countrywide though.  Next years capital of culture has a new train station, Liverpool South Parkway.  Replacing a run down shithole - there's a reason for this.  8 miles from the city centre, 2 miles from the airport, wtf's the point?  You have to get a bus from the station to the airport, staff numbers currently eclipse passengers!

It looks very apt though and wasted plenty of cash!