Bristol Underground

[whole diary]

[SandTEngineer]

..no not putting the city underground but....   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-41152221

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

A £2.5bn "mass transit" underground for Bristol has moved a step closer.

Elected mayor Marvin Rees said the city needs a "three dimensional solution" to its transport problems using "underground and over-ground" routes.

The council has commissioned a £50,000 study to determine if it is financially viable.

Mr Rees is also looking to bid for £3m to examine rock samples to look at how the project could work practically.

That money, from the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), would include looking at existing tunnels under the city.

The planned line would connect the city's airport and Temple Meads railway station linking on to the Cribbs Causeway shopping centre.


BBC West political reporter - Robin Markwell

Flagship transport schemes in Bristol are famed for hitting the buffers.

Several failed attempts have been made to revive the trams that were scrapped after the war, but the mayor's big idea of going underground is different.

He believes that some of the city's old tunnels could be brought back to life and Bristol's streets are so crowded that - in some areas - the only way is down.

Mayor Rees is looking to raise much of the two billion from private investment but his critics warn there is no magic money tree and this risks going the same way as the so-called "supertram".

Mr Rees said if the idea proves possible he will go to the government and the world market to find the investment to bring the project to life.

"We can build tunnels under the city, but the question is whether the cost of the tunnel stacks up financially and can we get investors to bring the scheme to life. That's what we're looking at now," the Labour mayor said.

Mayor Marvin Rees says Bristol's transport problems could not be solved with just one project

Asked how this would work with the city's controversial MetroBus project, he said Bristol's transport problems could not be solved with just one scheme.

"It has to be about an integrated transport system, MetroBus is one of the interventions but there are more that are needed to complement that," Mr Rees said.

"We need a mass transit scheme for Bristol, we've known that for decades.

"Some of it will be over ground, some underground - it's about connecting the key communities and economic areas.

"So the airport into the city centre, through Bristol south connecting all the communities to all the employment hot spots, and out to the north fringe as well."

[Red Squirrel]

"Some of it will be over ground, some underground" - and if you minuetto allegretto you will live to be old. Wheeeeeeeeee! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lJa1HuynIA

Where exactly are these spare tunnels that no-one else has ever thought of using, Marvin?

[Bmblbzzz]

Hmm, the figure changes from "£3 million" to "two million" over a few paragraphs. Journalistic standards at the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) are almost as high as at the Bristol Post.

Anyway, I think there's a purpose behind this that's nothing to do with transport. The City Council (like local government generally) is starved of funds, which Mayor Marvin is concentrating mainly on housing – his priority. I'm not sure exactly how but I reckon this "study" is part of a plea/plan/scheme to beg/borrow more money for the council generally (and not just money but attention from the Centre).

OT, but:

Several failed attempts have been made to revive the trams that were scrapped after the war, but the mayor's big idea of going underground is different.

I thought the decision to scrap the trams was taken before the war and some vehicles and track were taken up in the late thirties, the scrapping being delayed by the outbreak of war until a bomb hit some vital part of the system.

[Red Squirrel]

A billion is more than just a million with a bad cold, but I agree that they're easily confused. It was so much easier back in the days before Denis Healey decided we'd follow the US by devaluing the billion; we had thousands of millions then and no-one got confused, even if they had the flu.

So:
The scheme is estimated to cost £2,500,000,000 according to the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page);
The scheme is estimated to cost £2,000,000,000 according to Robin Markwell, of the BBC;
The office intern will be given £50,000 to read the Wikipedia article about the Avon Supertram;
Someone will spend £3,000,000 digging holes to see what's down there. Wish they'd ask me; it's mostly limestone. I reckon they'll start at The Centre, and then move on to Temple Circus (which should be a crossroads by then).





 

[Bmblbzzz]

Sorry, I was confusing the £3 million for "rock samples" with the later "two billion" for the whole project. The way the first two sums (£2.5 billion, £3 million) are given in one format and the "two billion" in words alone doesn't add to the feeling of a reliably written article either.

[Bmblbzzz]

Milliards? 

[Red Squirrel]

Milliards? 

Same to you with brass knobs on.

[Western Pathfinder]

The Bristol City  UNDERLGROUND !!?.

[Bmblbzzz]

The Bristol Underground can't be built till we have a line from Portishead... to Massive Attack via Roni Size and Banksy!

[Red Squirrel]

The Bristol City  UNDERLGROUND !!?.

I sense the need for some elucidation: In linguistic terms (let's not get sidetracked by the excellent products of Bristol Commercial Vehicles Ltd) the Bristol 'L' is a letter that is only ever attached to the end of a word; indeed among students of Bristolian it is sometimes referred to as the 'terminal L'. The skill in applying it lies in the native knowledge of those words which are in danger of letting dust in - for the terminal L's purpose is to exclude dust where it might otherwise penetrate and cause damage. There is never any potential for particulate ingress in the middle of a word, so UNDERLGROUND is just not possible.

Maybe it would help to consider this shibboleth: "Eva Turner, prima donna of the Carl Rosa Opera". To a native it is a simple manner to assign L's as required; I'm sure all Bristol folk would agree that "Evil Turner, primal donnal of the Carol Rosal operal" sounds much better. A foreigner, maybe someone from north of Olveston or east of Keynsham, would almost certainly reveal themselves by applying the L to 'Turner', creating a vile chimera along the lines of "Turnall" or, worse, "Turnerl". The apparent gender reassignment (from Carl to Carol) is actually nothing more than a misunderstanding - it is simply the logical consequence of actually pronouncing the letter R, rather than dropping it as RP speakers insist on doing.

[Western Pathfinder]

The Bristol City  UNDERLGROUND !!?.

I sense the need for some elucidation: In linguistic terms (let's not get sidetracked by the excellent products of Bristol Commercial Vehicles Ltd) the Bristol 'L' is a letter that is only ever attached to the end of a word; indeed among students of Bristolian it is sometimes referred to as the 'terminal L'. The skill in applying it lies in the native knowledge of those words which are in danger of letting dust in - for the terminal L's purpose is to exclude dust where it might otherwise penetrate and cause damage. There is never any potential for particulate ingress in the middle of a word, so UNDERLGROUND is just not possible.

Maybe it would help to consider this shibboleth: "Eva Turner, prima donna of the Carl Rosa Opera". To a native it is a simple manner to assign L's as required; I'm sure all Bristol folk would agree that "Evil Turner, primal donnal of the Carol Rosal operal" sounds much better. A foreigner, maybe someone from north of Olveston or east of Keynsham, would almost certainly reveal themselves by applying the L to 'Turner', creating a vile chimera along the lines of "Turnall" or, worse, "Turnerl". The apparent gender reassignment (from Carl to Carol) is actually nothing more than a misunderstanding - it is simply the logical consequence of actually pronouncing the letter R, rather than dropping it as RP speakers insist on doing.

Arsel exceteral exceteral  .

[ChrisB]

Seems to be Bristol's attempt at beating Oxford's MAGLEV that was suggested by the County Council last year.....

[johnneyw]

Where exactly are these spare tunnels that no-one else has ever thought of using, Marvin?
[/quote]

I know of two. Their usefulness is the question. One runs from near Temple Meads towards the new cut which I understand is used as a shooting range. Another (I think) runs by the Portway from near the Clifton Rocks Railway to somewhere near the Clifton Down Tunnel portal in the gorge. Now, with some imagination, could these be useful?

[chuffed]

Bet that Evil Turnerl prima donnal of the Carol Rosal Operal company was appearing in Cavalieral Rusticanal..... or perhaps Aidal. She had two daughters Idle and Normal.

[grahame]

Where exactly are these spare tunnels that no-one else has ever thought of using, Marvin?

I know of two. There usefulness is the question. One runs from near Temple Meads towards the new cut which I understand is used as a shooting range. Another (I think) runs by the Portway from near the Clifton Rocks Railway to somewhere near the Clifton Down Tunnel portal in the gorge. Now, with some imagination, could these be useful?

There is also a tunnel from Bristol City Centre Landing Stage to somewhere near Rupert Street.  Useful route in the centre; I question its usefulness unless the underground is to be boat rather than rail or road based.