There has been great debate recently over the technology of Maglev trains. Trains that do not run on rails and bogies but rather float above a line of magnets.
The UK is a known innovator and embracer of new technology. Once the masters of a great empire and home to many inventors and great minds. Unfortunately as well as global success the UK are very good at Short Term Four Year Fixes. Once voted in, a British government has four years to make the best impression it can and to win support for the next election.
Instead of knocking down rotten school walls and rebuilding them, they just whitewash over them. That dingy dangerous car park gets new shrubs planted in front of it instead of the CCTV and lights that it requires. There is no long term planning, no cost effective investment and no continuity.
This is why the British railways are in the mess they are. There is no long term planning or investment, we just make a bodge job of it so it looks ok for the next general election. This is why we won’t be the ones to introduce the Maglev train into the mainstream commuter market.
The Japanese on the other hand have the Leap factor that we lack. In 1964 the Japanese government undertook a huge 50 year loan from the World Bank and set out to build the best railway in the world. Shinkansen was born. Japan switched its gauge to coincide with the British Standard Gauge. They went the distance and made the leap.
Two thirds of the way through the project Japan is now enjoying a first class, high speed railway that hasn’t seen a fatal accident in its 42 years of running. Sleek and stylish travel that’s affordable and never late. Something the British can barely dream of.
So why don’t we take the leap and put together our 50 year plan to put us back on top of the world? Why don’t we vote for cheap, efficient, quality rail travel that will solve congestion and save the environment? Why? Because we live with a democracy that only cares about the next four years.
Chris Witham gained his interest in trains from working on a website about the Bullet Train. To see more of his websites visit www.cromecreations.co.uk/blog.
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