Is Virgin Atlantic Closing Little Red?
The Sunday Times is leading the Business section, with an article that is saying that Virgin Atlantic is closing Little Red.
I always thought it was an ambitious plan, especially as the airline doesn’t go to Glasgow. This might seem a mistake, but remember Virgin Trains go to Scotland’s biggest city, where probably most London-bound travellers live.
Incidentally, I have only heard of one person, who has used the airline to get to Scotland and they live near Heathrow.
But after my experience with flying easyJet to Edinburgh, where it took as long as the train, due to security delays, I just wonder if flying to Scotland now, is a second class option to many travellers. As an example, one of my Edinburgh friends, who frequently travels down to London, always seems to use the train.
So you have to have a good reason to fly, such as your company is paying and you get the reward points.
Security delays are obviously a problem at some airports and these could get worse, unless terrorism worries actually reduce our desire for air travel substantially.
But two other factors probably have more effect; Manchester Airport and the trains.
Traffic at Manchester Airport has risen by nearly twenty percent in the last few years and this has been substantially helped by better rail connectivity across the North and to Glasgow.
So why would a Glaswegian spend more money to fly to Heathrow, when he or she can do the total journey quicker, by taking a convenient brand-new First TransPennine train to Manchester Airport and getting his flight from there?
But the trains are so much better at journeys a couple of stops short of a full London to Scotland journey. And how many Scots who live in the Central belt want to go to places other than London like Birmingham, Peterborough or Milton Keynes?
The trains are getting better each year and there seems to be no sign of the pace of the improvement slowing. Station upgrades at Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Peterborough and Birmingham will be completed and extra paths for more trains will be available, as alternative routes for freight trains become available. The real game-changer will happen at the end of this decade, when in-cab signalling becomes available, allowing the trains to increase maximum speeds from 125 mph to 140 mph.
Presently the fastest London Glasgow trains take four and a half hours, but the improvements could deliver a time around four hours.
As Virgin obviously have all the figures for both train and plane to Scotland, if they are closing Little Red, I suspect it was somewhat of a no-brainer.
One Tax We Don’t Have To Pay
I was reading an article in the Sunday Times about how Germans are leaving churches in droves as they don’t want to pay the church tax. Here’s the jist.
When it comes to a choice between God and mammon, German churchgoers are overwhelmingly choosing mammon.
Hundreds of thousands of citizens have been leaving the German churches every year, appalled by child sex abuse scandals and outrageous spending by clerical fat cats.
It would appear that for the average wage earner, it could be several thousand euros, which all church members pay to their chosen church.
There’s more about the so-called church tax in Wikipedia and I was surprised at how many countries have one. Here’s what Wikipedia says about the tax in Austria.
Church tax is compulsory for Catholics in Austria, with a rate of 1.1%. This tax was introduced by Hitler in 1939. After World War II, the tax was retained in order to keep the Church independent of political powers.
The Sunday Times said that some Catholics in Germany, who don’t pay the tax might be refused a religious burial. How charitable is that, when apparently the Catholic Church in Germany is said in the article to be worth £341bn.
Many of us moan about tax rates, but at least here’s one tax, that we don’t have to pay.
To Live A Long Life Keep Your Waistline At Half Your Height
This is the headline of an article in the Sunday Times reporting on a study from the City University.
I’m 1.71 tall and my waist is about 80 centimetres. Although I have no proof, I think I’m the same size, as when I left Liverpool University in 1968.
So I think I qualify.
But then so did C and our youngest son and both are not here now!
Two personal stories would appear to support the research.
One of my father’s heroes as he saw him box, was the incomparable Ted “Kid” Lewis. The Aldgate Sphinx was probably a similar size naturally to both my father and myself, although towards the end of his boxing career, he fought and won at light-heavyweight. But he lived until he was 75.
I also used to live in Newmarket and knew several retired jockeys well past sixty. Many were still trim and seemed to be pursuing a very active live. Someone should research the health and life of jockeys!
For these reasons, I intend to stay this size for the rest of my life. Especially, as it’s so much cheaper, as I don’t have to keep buying new clothes.
Crossrail Could Have Wi-Fi
This article from the Standard, discusses wi-fi on Crossrail. Here’s the first paragraph.
Commuters will soon be able to use their mobile phones on trains and in tunnels on the new Crossrail rail link under plans being drawn up by TfL.
It won’t be many years before all trains, buses and trams in the UK, have full mobile access. Chiltern have already gone that way, and Virgin Trains are planning a roll-out.
Are English-Based Politicians Making Scots More Likely To Vote Yes?
Reports like this one on the BBC are saying that the Scottish Referendum is swinging towards independence.
There’s an old medical joke told by doctors. – “You can always tell a Barts man, but you can’t tell him anything!”
I suspect that in terms of politics this applies to Scots. After all the voting patterns for Scotland are very different to England in General Elections.
So as the No campaign seems to be based around those who found political fortune in Westminster, does the Yes Campaign have an advantage. Even Alistair Darling represents an Edinburgh constituency, so he must go down well in Glasgow.
So what is the No Campaign doing?
According to reports like this one, they’re sending in their secret weapon – John Prescott.
I have a feeling that this could give the Yes Campaign a winning push!
Liverpool Gets Another Event
This morning Liverpool is hosting the start of the Tour of Britain.
It seems to me, that since being European Capital of Culture in 2008, Liverpool has received more of the large events, than it should have on the law of averages.
Perhaps, it’s just that the City is more efficient in attracting them!
On the other hand the Sea Odyssey of 2012, brought 800,000 people into the centre and had an economic impact of £32million.
So they know that events work.
It’ll be interesting to see the figures for the Tour de Yorkshire in Leeds and Sheffield.
A Tribute To Joan Rivers From The London Overground
This article in the Independent, flags up a tribute to Joan Rivers written on a customer information board at Hackney Wick Overground station.
She had a good innings and I for one, will miss her outstanding brand of humour. The only certain thing, is that someone in the future will come along with something more outrageous.
Is There Space On The Overground For Large Art?
In November 2013, I had a letter published in The Times entitled Underground Art.
As I had a bit of time to waste, I checked out some of the stations near where I live, as to their suitability of placing a large sculpture on the platforms.
Dalston Junction, Highbury and Islington and Caledonian Road and Barnsbury stations have space for the right piece of large art, but the space at Canonbury is such, that you could position a small tank engine there, if the platform was strong enough.
Other stations might not be suitable, as most do not have the large island platforms of these four stations.
I have no idea how much suitable sculpture would be available. I have read or viewed reports that a lot of art is now in store, because of the danger of theft. So why shouldn’t it be safely on display on stations?
Obviously, it would need to be installed using a maintenance train. But that in itself is a big deterrence against scrap metal thieves, as they’d probably have to get the art out that way.
An Unpleasant Experience
I took this picture at Highbury and Islington station from the second footbridge, that links the platforms to the Emergency Exit.
An Approaching Class 66
I have talked about the noise of Class 66 locomotives before in this post, where I said this.
It is important that rail locomotives are improved, as the current mainstay, the Class 66 is not liked by those who live on busy freight routes, due to its noise. I’ve also talked to drivers, who feel they have other problems too.
I could have been more critical. The Class 66 to the left of the picture was pulling a heavy freight train and passed under me, whilst working hard.
The noise was bad, but not as bad as the stink of the exhaust of the massive diesel engine.
I remarked on this to a member of the station staff, who was tidying up underneath the bridge and he said he hated them.
As there are now alternatives, surely pure diesel engines like the Class 66, that don’t meet the latest environmental regulations, should at lest be banned from operating in heavily-populated built-up areas.
In fact, as this line is electrified, what is a Class 66 doing on this line anyway?
You Are Absolutely Bonkers
This was the wonderful accolade that was given to Peter Duncan and his partner on Tumble.
He is putting us all to shame, doing what he does on the show, only a few years younger than I am!
The Anonymous Widower 