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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Electrification
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on: December 30, 2008, 11:41:15
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How old are the 158s now. just over 20 years old and are providing capacity boost for such franchises as northern. How about the HSTs▸ ? They are 25-30 years old and most have just been re-engined putting another 20 years life in them. I'm sorry but does this not show that if we re planing to get rid of trains built in 2003ish (meridians) & 2002ish (voyagers) in 2203 and 2202 then will we not have capcity problems there and is it not wastefull?
I'm hoping that they keep refurbishing the HSTs. I would be much happier if they chuck out the noisy, vibrating toilet-smelling Voyagers, before the calm, quiet, relaxed (and 30-year-old) HSTs. I vote for a new batch of HSTs, with power cars at the end and not underneath, and if electrification happens to occur. New or refurbished electric power cars sound like a great option. Your right a re-engined/refubished train is in some ways as good as (if not better) than a new one. Look at the Welsh Assambaly goverment express. That seems nicer than the voyagers which operate the London service. |
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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: Cambridge Guided Busway - ongoing discussion and updates (merged topic)
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on: December 30, 2008, 11:03:35
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I think the reasons were <b>both</b> requirements of the scheme ... in other words, it vehicles have to both be able to pass each other very rapidly when they're on the central backbone, and yet be able to spread out widely at the ends of the route(s). Rather like an uprooted tree network - with a trunk along which the sap can travel quickly, yet lots of obscure leaves and root ends.
Mind you, you are correct to pick up on "OFFICIAL" reasons. I've also heard it said that the reason for the guided trackway is more to avoid a future political decision to open the route as a conventional road too - to avoid them first adding access for long distance buses like National Express, then taxis, then disabled people's cars ... then have it turn into a toll road. It's very interesting to listen to the South Hampshire people about "guided v unguided" on the Gosport to Fareham project that has replaced the tram option now that the price of a tunnel under Portsmouth Harbour entrance has rocketed with the Navy wanting to deepen the channel.
Toll roads often (sorry i mean always) fail. Look at the M6 toll. Money spent on that would have been much better spent on improving the west coast main line. |
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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: Cambridge Guided Busway - ongoing discussion and updates (merged topic)
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on: December 20, 2008, 13:03:29
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I am against any trams/ bus routes on old rail lines.
e.g. The Midland Metro scuppered any hope for reopening the second route to Wolverhampton from B'ham Snow Hill.
Chiltern could have run Wolverhampton to Marylebone, the ATW▸ services could have been diverted, as well as the Shrewsbury train, taking the pressure off the saturated New Street to Wolverhampton line. W&S▸ , freight, charter and route diversions could have used the lines also.
How useful would the route have been during the WCML▸ works and the New Street redevelopment?
In short: reopen the rail line - it costs the same, journey times are quicker, and there are millions MORE benefits.
If you have to build a busway, just open a Dual Carriageway - there are more benefits with a new road than a stupid busway!
Yeah ok the WM tram has failed. But just look at merolink in manchester. Ok rail has suffered but if you ask me the chester-manchester line via Northwich ought to be tram train operasted and ought to be the trail of the tram-trains in the UK▸ . |
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Electrification
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on: December 20, 2008, 10:41:58
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How old are the 158s now. just over 20 years old and are providing capacity boost for such franchises as northern. How about the HSTs▸ ? They are 25-30 years old and most have just been re-engined putting another 20 years life in them. I'm sorry but does this not show that if we re planing to get rid of trains built in 2003ish (meridians) & 2002ish (voyagers) in 2203 and 2202 then will we not have capcity problems there and is it not wastefull?
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Electrification
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on: December 10, 2008, 17:13:49
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Sorry to change the topic again. BUT if the turbos are limited in where they can go then the midland main line ought to be electrified because doing that would put more capcity on cross country, nottingham-cardiff, liverpool-norwich, portsmouth-cardiff and birmingham-stanstead. Plus think about what all the 158 & turbostars from there could do. This would be done by sending the long merdians & hst on the mml to xc, voyagers replaced by HSTs▸ & short merdians to the routes above. SURLY then that is better than having the constrated turbos even of it does not benefit the west as much.  |
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Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon - Central, North and South / Re: Class 142 Pacers in service on Devon branch lines, 2007 to 2011 - merged topic
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on: December 10, 2008, 16:58:45
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Electrification is probably at least ten years off, so by then the 15x units will be pretty much life expired so our new units now will then be cascaded to places that will never be electrified such as rural Wales, Cornwall and Devon Branches also places such as the far north of Scotland, so building new units now does actually make sense.
Yes but building new units dampens cases for elctrification. A perfect example of this is the snow hill lines. In a few years the 172s will be full to the brim out of birmingham, everyone will winge at the dft and the lines will not be electrified. However if the lines were electrified then the new units could go to Northern and first great western and the snow hill lines would get better capacity, nice units, better journey times and the DaFT» will have done something wright!!!! |
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Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon - Central, North and South / Re: Class 142 Pacers in service on Devon branch lines, 2007 to 2011 - merged topic
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on: November 26, 2008, 21:03:35
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Just goes to show how desperate things are on the FGW▸ region that we hate the thought of losing anymore rolling stock even if we knew it was going to happen as in the case of the 5 142s heading back up north later in the year. Any rolling stock is better than severe overcrowding and people being left behind at stations.
Sorry to bring us back to this but does no one else think this links to electricfication. the best way of getting rid of the pacers and having rolling stock would be a cascade. For example if the Midland main line was electricfied HST▸ and long merdians could go to Cross country letting voyagers take over routes like Liverpool-Norwich,Cardiff-Nottingham,Cardiff-Portsmoth and Birmingham-Stanstead in that order cascading 158s and turbostars to get rid of pacers for eternity!  (except as fairground rides)  AND there would be more capacity. |
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / Campaigns for new and improved services / Re: Campaign for Tavistock reopening
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on: November 26, 2008, 19:40:49
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It seems like reopening to Tavistock is a great idea and would be great if a private devolopement would fund it. The thing about putting the houses strung along the line is the housing company would probally try to get the houses at Tavistock [/i]AND[/i] extra houses along the line as it owuld cost them more to put the houses seperatly. Another problem i can think about the reopening to Tavistock is that DFT▸ (DAFT as my computer spellcheck keeps trying to correct me) would proboally try to get some more dreaded pacers to work the line as at the moment these seem like the only spear DMUs▸ .   |
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