A well considered "out of the box" proposal, especially if we could get some pricing involved to allow costs and revenues to tell us something about demand preferences. Tearing up the tracks, signalling and power switching equipment of the permanent way could provide a useful tabula rasa for innovative transport modes across the country. Private coaches operating to departure and arrival slots with pre-booked seats come to mind as a better way to absorb and optimise the overheads and depreciation in any mode of transport. Explaining the virtues of such solutions to politicians and civil servants (and other vested interests as mentioned in the piece) would be a nightmare ... but this is what the IEA has always been keen to do. Hurrah for that.
A well considered "out of the box" proposal, especially if we could get some pricing involved to allow costs and revenues to tell us something about demand preferences. Tearing up the tracks, signalling and power switching equipment of the permanent way could provide a useful tabula rasa for innovative transport modes across the country. Private coaches operating to departure and arrival slots with pre-booked seats come to mind as a better way to absorb and optimise the overheads and depreciation in any mode of transport. Explaining the virtues of such solutions to politicians and civil servants (and other vested interests as mentioned in the piece) would be a nightmare ... but this is what the IEA has always been keen to do. Hurrah for that.