On Mon, 26 Jan 2009, John Rowland wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:

Not that i'm complaining - more smaller islands means more
coastline, which i hope will be constructed as ecologically vital
saltmarsh.

Unless they invent a new engine which is birdproof, I think not.

I was hoping nobody'd think of that!

From what i remember of my biology lessons, and a youth spent living next
to one, salt marshes are not enormously brilliant habitats for birds;
they're mostly about invertebrates and simple plants, and doing all sorts
of valuable but dull low-level nutrient recycling (including selenium - i
don't know why i remember thus, but basically, without saltmarshes, the
selenium cycle is stuffed). If birds are a problem, then salt marsh
covered with acres of chicken wire slung between low poles would still be
hugely ecologically valuable.

Would Crossrail trains run through to the airport?

Good thinking - I'd say so.

I worry it might be a bit far for what is really a suburban railway. But
then i'm someone who thinks Maidenhead is too far.

And what happens on the Essex side? A connection to one of the
existing Southend stations? Somehow connecting to Stansted - two
sides of a triangle via Stratford, or some new line running along the
M25/M11 to join the existing line at Harlow?

NIOL [Not In Our Lifetimes].

Sad but true.

tom

--
Finals make a man mean; let's fusc up and write!