YOU report an Edinburgh Airport spokesman as having said that “flying to London (from Edinburgh) is the only option which provides the opportunity for a full day of work and a same day return" ("Massive fall in pollution as Scots switch from air to rail", The Herald, August 21). Not so.
Even a cursory glance at Virgin Trains East Coast's timetable shows that the daily southbound Flying Scotsman leaves Waverley at 0540 only some 50 minutes before the first tranche of three BA flights to London City, Gatwick and Heathrow – the same time that air passengers would require to be at the airport. It is possible to board this train, and others, almost right up to the departure time. This train completes the trip in four hours from Edinburgh, running non-stop from Newcastle with full on-train catering and wi-fi facilities, does not require passengers to "book-in" an hour before departure or suffer all manner of security requirements and arrives in King's Cross, fairly close to the city centre, at 0940 where there are five Underground routes to choose from, reaching all parts of the city.
Assuming the working day ends around 1700hrs there are then no fewer than five northbound services available to business people ensuring that they can be back in Edinburgh the same day. So there is an option and many business people already do this.
Brian Farish,
10 Baird Grove, Edinburgh.
I READ your article on the study carried out by the AA on electric cars with interest ("Over-55s are switched off to the benefits of electric cars", The Herald, August 21).
The conclusion reached by AA president Edmund King of the AA is in my opinion wrong. It is not that we over-55s do not appreciate the benefits of green technology but rather the practicality of making it viable in the near future.
The lack of charging points are problematic as the range of electric cars is severely limited, as is battery life, buy the main reason why I would not buy one is that the UK does not have the generating capacity to provide electricity to power all these cars.
We import electricity at present. We have decommissioned coal and oil-fired power stations. We would rely on gas fuelled power stations (limited source); nuclear power stations (fuel disposal problems); wind power (not reliable and expensive); solar power (not developed and expensive), and wave power (not developed).
If the demand for electricity outstrips supply, the cost of electricity will escalate substantially. All-electric cars will only be a viable proposition if we have the infrastructure in place. This will not happen in the next 20 years the over-55s have the experience to realise this.
W Thompson,
2 Crawford Avenue, Lenzie.
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