intresting stuff. linking continents by rail.
technologies there... and the money... but so many questions.
Oh yes Tapper and exactly my vision of the future! Rebuild and expand our ancient rail network system, so that goods from the North of England can travel at very high speed on large gauge lines to Moscow, or Johannesburg, or Sydney, in a day, or two for the latter! Passengers travelling the same way, all in high energy efficient train units.
I have a dream! That is my dream of the late 21st Century!
Aye ......
Cardiff Central - Marrakesh every half-hour, and one round trip as a turn of duty too 
What about rostering a Class 150/2 Sprinter to the diagram, I wonder?
28 litres and 570 of Cummins best horses running full out! 
No - take an HST, lose a couple of coaches, the overspeed cards, and make sure the tyres have plenty of metal.
And use the TGV lines

How long at 140?
Sorry Martin, but that is
not the future, that is with todays 20th century thinking and technology!

We need a large gauge, and extensive, really super modern, late 21st Century, railway system, with super high speed (SHS) trains travelling at 600 mph on lines (SHS 1, 2, 3, 4, etc!) constructed fit for purpose for very long distances as I suggested before! These trains would cover at least 7,000 miles in 12 hours, so making SE Asia, China, Russia, and Australia within realistic reach. Goods manufactured in the North of England could be with the customer in Chine within just a few hours. Around the other side of the World within 24 hours. 8-) 8-)
We need the vision of great engineers, those in the aerospace field included, who are the 21st Century versions of Brunel and Stevenson

.