Many of UK policies seem to be 'stuck in a 1970's timewarp'.  Taking a local issue - I should be devoting my time pressing local officials and politicians to prepare for declining supplies of oil (and especially gas) in UK; instead I find myself having to help oppose a $1bn major highway scheme which the businesses and politicians in my area seem determined to persue.  I number of us have written objections citing reducing availability and increasing cost of oil, increased CO2 emissions from extra road traffic generated etc but are either met with silence or the standard response that 'the new road will benefit the region's economy'.  It's this kind of official attitude right across the UK which leads us to believe that nothing really will change until the sheer scale and cost of energy imports renders the situation impossible to ignore.  By then, of course, we will have lost precious years (and wasted even more precious energy) which we could have used to redesign infrastructure to be much more sustainable.

With regard to UK railways most of the mainline routes were retained at the time of the 1960's 'Beeching Cuts' and several key routes have received major investment in track and signalling in past decade.  Even in the (anti-rail) Thatcher years investment still took place, for example the 393 miles from London to Edinburgh was electrified.  In the past decade UK rail has experienced passenger km growth of 40%, the fastest rail growth in Europe.  Provided the planning process is streamlines (which will almost certainly happen in an energy descent scenario) relaying rural rail tracks would be relatively simple given necessary will and resources.  Unlike the 1800's when such routes were first built signalling technology has seen huge advances with result that reconstructed branch lines could well be single track with passing loops and will thus take up much less land than their predecessors.

As of yet, however, few rural branch lines are being reopened although a 35 mile reopening from Edinburgh to the Borders is planned for 2008.  In the meantime plans for highway and aviation expansion continue apace.