zuludelta

The travel industry is going to have to radically innovate in the next 2-3 years to help surmount the unprecedented crisis caused by some members of the Corona family. Some operators like Air Canada are now following the Silicon Valley example by encouraging their customers to pay for travel using a subscription plan. https://fp.aircanada.com/wallet/servlet/CTO5SearchServlet/booklet_landing#/shopping/ALL But, do you think something like this would work for a ferry operator such a BF?

Fire and self-directed traffic seems to be the Achilles heal of these tunnels. With the experiences of Switzerland and Italy, I don't think we'll ever see the Tunnel being converted for car use. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/road-tunnel-disasters-make-the-case-for-rail-5363611.html

Thanks for your comprehensive answer Pegpilot. Glad to see it's not just certain Breton shipping companies which are experiencing unlucky timings for fleet replacement!

As a matter of interest, what would be the main societal benefits used to justify an underground railway? Do you think the rail companies (those primarily involved in commuter lines)will see this pandemic as a 2-3 year blip or something thing that is going to cause a fundamental change to their business model?

Paris for a £1 for life...what a bargain!

Good point! The journalist totally ignores the spin-off innovations that some of these projects can conceive.

I'm not an accountant Gareth! but digging deeper, here is another article where the author seems to think it was not a success in the financial sense, at least https://www.ejrcf.or.jp/jrtr/jrtr11/f46_gra.html

Ouch, maybe that is why the FT journalist believes it to be a poor commercial project.

Yes Gareth, operating profit was €159 million in 2019.

I was intrigued to read this comment by John Kay, a journalist for the FT during the week: "With political direction of innovation we regularly encounter grandiosity of ambition and scale; the belief that strength of commitment overcomes practical problems; an absence of honest feedback; the suppression of sceptical comment and marginalisation of sceptical commentators. All these were seen in Britain’s experience with Concorde, the Channel Tunnel and the AGR nuclear reactor programme, some of the worst commercial projects in history." (13/01/21) I can understand the bit about Concord

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/ghostly-atmosphere-on-one-of-last-ferries-to-britain-before-brexit-takes-hold-1.4448048

Chandeliers in the terminals...

The ship or the region?

I see there in that video, there is a "Castro" lounge onboard. Is that BF giving a hat tip to Comrade Fidel?

Unfortunately, in terms of corona virus propagation, a ship has a more elevated risk level than you public spaces on land. Look what happened some of the cruise lines. At the same time though, it's still a a lot safer than being ensconced in a metal tube at 35,000 feet!