In uk.railway Mwmbwls wrote:
Spelthorne Councillors seek to choose Airtrack electrification
voltage. It reminds me of the days when London had conduit trams
because overhead wires were considered unsightly - but then at least
they owned the streets and the trams - unlike Spelthorne. This is
surely a technical rather than a political question. Note also Mr
Livingstone's response.

Airtrack's going to have to have a voltage changeover point somewhere. The
council have suggested it should be at T5 for environmental reasons. I
don't see a problem with them saying that, if it is just a proposal. There
may well be technical, operational or other reasons which means third rail
is impractical or costly on that stretch but that's for the developers to
make a case for.

The council have stated their opinion. Often planning ends up being
something of a compromise; you have to start from some negotiating positions
so you can then move towards that compromise. The negotiating positions are
by definition more extreme (at both sides) than the compromise.

Theo