On Thu, 27 Apr 2017 20:42:58 -0000 (UTC)
Recliner wrote:
wrote:
Sadly the powers that be in this country don't seem to believe in public
transport. If the tube didn't exist it certainly wouldn't get built today in
its current form. Maybe 1 or 2 lines plus an on the cheap tram system like
manchester or nottingham but that would be about it. How newcastle got the
funding a fully fledged underground metro in the city centre 80s is anyones
guess especially when Brum or Manchester were far more deserving. An attack
of
benevolence by the government at the time perhaps, or maybe Thatcher trying
to
keep the north east on side for a short time given the problems with the
miners.

Very little (10%) of the Newcastle Metro is underground. It's much more of
an S-Bahn than a U-Bahn.

Indeed, but its proper bored tunnel with specialised, non mainline stock so it
still counts as a metro IMO.

Even so, I still can't figure out why newcastle was so blessed when other
more deserving cities were not. God knows, Birmingham really needs a proper
underground system. If it was a city anywhere in northern or eastern europe
it would have public transport coming out of its ears.

--
Spud