Poll: Which Of These Makes/Would Make Best Use Of Disused Rail Lines/Trackbed?

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Voting extended by 24 hours - closing time shown at top of topic.

[Lee]

Voting has now closed, and the result was a dead-heat between Portishead and Tavistock line re-openings (44% of the vote each.)

Interesting also to note that 3 of the options registered no votes at all.

[eightf48544]

Even more interesting is that it was the two rail options for which people voted.

As I said i think both are equally worthy which is why I didn't vote, we could of course afford both if the government didn't spend so much money on useless overseas adventures.

One option you didn't give was trams on heavy rail. This would work for Portishead and Severn Beach. Trams use heavy rail complete with freight trains and come off into the centre of Bristol at a convinient point to commence street running. This not a complete takeover of the heavy rail lne as in Manchester Wolverhampton Nottinghm and Croydon. Heavy rail trains  still run run on the same lines as the trams.

It works in Kassel. As well as dual voltage trams Kassel have ED trams that traverse an unelectrified branch to Wolfhagen. So at Willhemlhohe Hbf you have everything type of train from ICE downwards  plus freight and trams using the lines through the station.

Conversley in Zwickau Heavy Rails DMUS of the Vogtland Bahn tranverse the street tramway (tram metre gauge so three rails) to a station in the centre.

It can be done. But "they" seem to think it's unsafe.

 

[Lee]

Even more interesting is that it was the two rail options for which people voted.

As I said i think both are equally worthy which is why I didn't vote, we could of course afford both if the government didn't spend so much money on useless overseas adventures.

One option you didn't give was trams on heavy rail. This would work for Portishead and Severn Beach. Trams use heavy rail complete with freight trains and come off into the centre of Bristol at a convinient point to commence street running. This not a complete takeover of the heavy rail lne as in Manchester Wolverhampton Nottinghm and Croydon. Heavy rail trains  still run run on the same lines as the trams.

It works in Kassel. As well as dual voltage trams Kassel have ED trams that traverse an unelectrified branch to Wolfhagen. So at Willhemlhohe Hbf you have everything type of train from ICE downwards  plus freight and trams using the lines through the station.

Conversley in Zwickau Heavy Rails DMUS of the Vogtland Bahn tranverse the street tramway (tram metre gauge so three rails) to a station in the centre.

It can be done. But "they" seem to think it's unsafe.

Fair point, and I believe that Tom Harris is on record as saying that the Government is studying tram-trains.

[Andy]

I'm glad to see that both Portishead & Tavistock did well. Both schemes are equally important in terms of need but I voted for Tavistock because I think it would have the larger impact politically, as it would mean relaying 6 miles of route abandoned in the 1960s, and would be financed by the private sector.