"Martin Edwards" wrote in message
...
Adrian Auer-Hudson wrote:
The diversion through Aylesbury is not an elegant solution. Wouldn't
it be great if there was an alternative?

Aylesbury through Verney Junction and Buckingham to Banbury would be so
useful right now.

As for Central Railway or the Great Central based HSL, Leicester
through Rugby, Woodford, Banbury and High Wycombe to London would be a
great route. Banbury would work well as interchange with local
traffic.

One can't imagine how the passenger feels, having reached Princess
Risborough to be going backward to Aylesbury. I guess as long as the
UK has politicians she will have a bizarre railway system.

Adrian, webmaster http://www.LosAngelesMetro.net
HOLLYWOOD, CA

The original reason was that politicians had nothing to do with it, except
to pass private Acts of Parliament to facilitate the haphazard planning of
dozens of private operators. The Settle-Carlisle route, now a tourist
attraction, was unnescessary even at the time, but the owner of the
comapny concerned just had to have a route to Scotland.

--
You can't fool me: there ain't no Sanity Clause. -Chico Marx

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/1955
If anything, the US owes the form of its railway network to the politicians
of the 19th century, who offered very generous inducements (in the form of
land grants) in order to encourage the westward expansion of the railways
from St Louis etc. Nothing comparable existed in the UK at same period.
Brian