I"ve been predicting...

I"ve been predicting it, and – surprise, surprise – my prophecy has been realised. It’s now official: the great pretender touted as the alternative to the car has finally priced itself out of the market. For money and other reasons, we the public have decided that nine times out of 10, we prefer car cabins to rail carriages. And that’s official, too. Rail watchdog Anthony Smith has been reported in recent days as saying that rail travel “is for the rich”. He’s so incensed that he claims consumer protection on rail fares is “weak” and passengers are often left “with no choice”.

A plastic bridge capable...

A plastic bridge capable of carrying 40 tonnes is to be built across a UK motorway for the first time. The structure, reinforced with fibres, will span all six lanes of the M6 near Claughton, Lancs. The technique has been used by Lotus to make body panels, but only two bridges have been constructed in this way in the UK, and neither crosses a motorway.