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Ireland bridging European gap
 Never
mind Belfast International taking over from Shannon as the main hub of
the Heathrow services, it now seems possible that some day in the not-too-distant
future you’ll be able to board a train in Belfast at tea-time, sip
champagne as the Co. Antrim countryside slips by and be in Paris before
midnight.
That futuristic vision could become a reality by 2030 if cross-border
proposals to link Ireland into Europe’s high-speed rail network
become reality.
However it will require a 21-mile bridge or tunnel to be built from the
Antrim coast to Galloway in south-west Scotland.
The scheme, which could cost northwards of £500million, has been
discussed informally by the Centre for Cross Border Studies, which doesn’t
think it’s a bridge too far.
Europe has undergone a high-speed rail revolution with a new continent-wide
network stretching from Seville to Stockholm and from Naples to Glasgow.
The only country in western Europe not connected to the network is Ireland.
Sea-crossing bridges aren’t a new concept. A 22-mile road bridge
is being built in China between Shanghai and Ningbo costing £750million
and Sweden is now linked to Denmark by the 10-mile long Oresund Bridge.
Despite the high cost the Centre believes there are “many arguments
in favour” including taking pressure off increasingly overloaded
Irish airports (but don’t tell the people of Shannon that).
Perhaps in anticipation of this, jet-setters have got in on the action.
I decided to take the train from Newry to Dundalk last week and was surprised
to find a pair of tights in the toilets.
Does this mean there’s already a Yard-High Club? |
