Fast route Weymouth, Yeovil, Salisbury to Waterloo

[whole diary]

[bradshaw]

This has appeared in today's Dorset Echo.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/14145416.Train_journey_times_to_London_could_be_slashed_if_new_multi_million_pound_project_gets_green_light/

[Timmer]

This is the first I've heard of this, not sure what to make of it. Is it a serious proposal?

[IndustryInsider]

Is it a serious proposal?

If it is a serious proposal, it has next to no chance of happening... 

[Timmer]

When you first read about something like this in local rag it's hard to take seriously. I would have thought redoubling Dorchester to Moreton and adding a bit more juice to the third rail would be cheaper then redoubling and resignalling Dorchester to Yeovil, not to mention building a link to Yeovil Junction off the line from Dorchester.

To me this is a non-story unless someone can come with something from Network Rail, ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) or Dft.

[Bmblbzzz]

The reason that the new route via Yeovil and Salisbury is because the current route to London from Weymouth, which goes through Bournemouth and Poole, is already full to capacity and the track does not have enough electricity to power a fast train.

"The track does not have enough electricity".  I presume they mean it has third-rail electrification, which cannot power a train to such high speeds as OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE").

[SandTEngineer]

The reason that the new route via Yeovil and Salisbury is because the current route to London from Weymouth, which goes through Bournemouth and Poole, is already full to capacity and the track does not have enough electricity to power a fast train.

"The track does not have enough electricity".  I presume they mean it has third-rail electrification, which cannot power a train to such high speeds as OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE").

The Bournemouth to Weymouth 3rd rail DC^▸ (Direct Current) electrification was done on the cheap.  It didn't have more than an hourly service at the time so the number of sub-stations were kept to a minimum and hence the operating restrictions in place today.  You have to remember the railway was in decline at the time so don't blame BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) for a lack of forthought

[didcotdean]

The Weymouth to London time is now barely less than at electrification as the gains have been eaten into by additional stops after Southampton, such as Winchester, Basingstoke, Woking etc, (completely non stop at one time) although there are now two services within a clock hour. Some local journeys are longer due to the skip stopping up to Christchurch.

[Bmblbzzz]

The reason that the new route via Yeovil and Salisbury is because the current route to London from Weymouth, which goes through Bournemouth and Poole, is already full to capacity and the track does not have enough electricity to power a fast train.

"The track does not have enough electricity".  I presume they mean it has third-rail electrification, which cannot power a train to such high speeds as OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE").

The Bournemouth to Weymouth 3rd rail DC^▸ (Direct Current) electrification was done on the cheap.  It didn't have more than an hourly service at the time so the number of sub-stations were kept to a minimum and hence the operating restrictions in place today.  You have to remember the railway was in decline at the time so don't blame BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) for a lack of forthought

So it's a genuine currant shortage rather than a lack of voles. Still, I say  once again to sloppy journalism.

[Chris from Nailsea]

So it's a genuine currant shortage rather than a lack of voles. Still, I say  once again to sloppy journalism.

Hmm. In defence of journalists (did I really type that??), yore speling is apauling. 



(And, to be fair, I am far from immune to making typos myself!). 

[JayMac]

So it's a genuine currant shortage rather than a lack of voles.

Well, that issue needs raisin with Network Rail. And perhaps Kenneth Grahame. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Kenneth Grahame wrote about moles, rather than voles, though. 

[JayMac]

Ratty was a water vole. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

You are absolutely right (as usual). 

[Bmblbzzz]

On the subject of typos, I like Bignosemac's new sig line. But I think we have Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series to thank for the voles and currants, or at least their popularisation.

Back to Weymouth, or at least Yeovil:

When you first read about something like this in local rag it's hard to take seriously. I would have thought redoubling Dorchester to Moreton and adding a bit more juice to the third rail would be cheaper then redoubling and resignalling Dorchester to Yeovil, not to mention building a link to Yeovil Junction off the line from Dorchester.

To me this is a non-story unless someone can come with something from Network Rail, ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) or Dft.

Couldn't they use the chord (I think that's the correct term) that runs roughly from Yeovil Penn Mill to Yeovil Junction? Sure, it would mean reversing twice and add unnecessary distance but I don't think those are serious problems as I don't think they're really going to do it.

[Timmer]

Couldn't they use the chord (I think that's the correct term) that runs roughly from Yeovil Penn Mill to Yeovil Junction? Sure, it would mean reversing twice and add unnecessary distance but I don't think those are serious problems as I don't think they're really going to do it.

They could but that would add around 15 minutes to the journey time which just adds to the theory that this is a non-starter.