I DO not normally respond to replies to my letters in the Oxford Mail, but I really cannot let Adrian Taylor get away with some of his latest assertions.

Firstly he concedes that third rail is Victorian.

He goes on to state that the Japanese high speed system runs without problems, very true but according to Wikipedia it runs on 25 KV AC, precisely the system being installed in Oxfordshire.

It is used and I quote: ‘to overcome the power supply problems of 1,500 DC’, used on the rest of the Japanese system. Own goal or what?

Finally, the surest way to produce horrendous cost and time over-runs in any project is to change the specification once the thing has started, witness the saga of the latest UK aircraft carriers.

A significant part of the new rolling stock for the new electrification is already under construction.

Enough said I hope.

BOB JOHNSTON (Cllr) Lib Dem
Kennington and Radley

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