One Giant Leap For Mankind
‘MORE than 30 years after Neil Armstrong uttered the immortal words, Jeez! It IS made of cheese, sending a man to the moon is still regarded as the zenith of human achievement.
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| ‘Ah, Buchanan Street at last!’ |
However, this morning we can reveal a feat which, at least in engineering terms, can be considered its superior sending a man (or indeed a woman) from London to Glasgow.
No, its not an April Fool. It is the conclusion of a Guardian investigation into what it calls the scandal of the west coats main line.
The modernisation of the rail link between the capital of the United Kingdom and Scotlands biggest city was at the centre of the Tories most controversial privatisation the railways.
Latest estimates of a project that was supposed to cost £1.5bn put the figure at almost £10bn, making it one of the worlds most expensive engineering works.
And then the Guardian drops the real bombshell: President George Bushs plans to send Americans to the moon have a smaller budget.
It is almost impossible to believe, but it is true. It costs more money to put a couple of strips of metal over the 400 miles that separate London and Glasgow than it does to blast a man the 220,000 miles that separate us from the moon.
What is more, by the time the west coast main line is finished, Nasa will probably be offering away day returns to the moon.
And no prizes for guessing which fares will be cheaper.’
Posted: 1st, April 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
