Mick F wrote:It just so happened that I had my Garmin 705 with me and I recorded the journey and was absolutely amazed and surprised that we were doing 140+ mph. Not only that, but it was smooth and quiet and beautiful. A real treat.
However, looking out of the window, the countryside had been spoilt. The track was ugly and surrounded by forbidding fencing. I found it very sad indeed that that such a wonderful transport system was so horrible to look at - and live near too.
Seems that the fencing is a newer network rail standard/requirement and would be found on a new line even if it was only 125mph. It should be noted that other countries do not feel the need to fortify their high speed rail in such a manner. The french TGV and Japanese Shinkansen lines look pretty much like standard electric train lines, just a bit straighter.
I'd rather railways than motorways...