What is your controversial railway opinion/idea?

[Cowley]

Getting dangerously close to discussions here folks.
EM2 will be along to issue a few yellow cards in a minute.

 

[tbtc]

Maybe I'll go one further and suggest that the "My idea for" threads should be moved to a Safe Space on the Forum where people can indulge themselves in various fantasy ideas for reopening long abandoned railways, without anything as inconvenient as someone pointing out why that might be impractical use of mass transportation.

That way people can chat about which village deserves having its railway restored, or which small town needs to have one of those (Alton Towers style) gondola people movers, safe from the opinions/ practical experiences of anyone who has worked in the industry who may feel differently.

I'd go further and say any post on these prefaced with the words 'My idea for' will be ill thought out, utterly impractical and generally crazier than a cut snake.

 

[Rail Blues]

I'd hope (some) people wouldn't be as rude and condescending as they sometimes are.

There are plenty of examples of things actually happening which if you'd suggested them a few years ago the know-it-alls would have instantly dismissed as fantasy or just impossible. Some examples:

Class 319 to Northern
Bi-mode class 319s
Mk4s on Holyhead - Cardiff
Class 707's replacements being planned before they'd even entered service
HSTs to Scotrail
Mini-HSTs for GWR
District line trains with Ford Transit engines to Wales
Thameslink to Rainham (Kent)
442s (part 1) to Southern / Gatwick Express
442s (part 2) back to South West
Crosscountry HSTs
...

About half of those suggestions were never rubbished or as wacky as you make out, anyway the odd occasions when the crayonistas have been proved semi-right pales into insignificance with the sheer amount of far fetched suggestions that get thrown around and then the op gets the hump when cold water is poured on them. Occasionally, in the same way that a stopped clock is right twice a day, something like the 442s finding a new home will happen (and as an aside, that plan is shaping up nicely to be a total dog's breakfast) will be used as justification for their nonsense

 

[Wivenswold]

Abandon HS2 and set a plan for a grid of electrified 100-125mph lines across the country, allowing passengers and frieght to traverse the country without being routed through already busy bottlenecks.

Interchange stations with large car parks out of town where lines meet. It's the UK, it doesn't need to be high speed, just fast enough and stress-free. That'll bring more regional growth than a high speed line between cities that are already connected.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Train tickets should be 80% cheaper when replacement buses operate the said journey

Replacement bus services should be adapted to carry cycles.

 

[B&I]

What do you expect people to do when an idea of such staggering impracticality is put in front of them? Say "brilliant idea, I don't understand why VTWC aren't running a London to Glasgow pullman service with 442s being hauled by class 33s bought from preserved railways already" (that was a serious suggestion BTW) or point out the blindingly obvious flaws on such a scheme. Quite frankly if I wanted to read pie in the sky wibble or get into the realms of fantasy, I'd hang around on Star Wars fan fiction sites. As it is, I'd rather discuss sensible ideas and am quite happy to be told when I lack knowledge or understanding of a particular issue by those who are genuinely knowledgeable, I'm not so thin-skinned that I can't take a telling.

Sorry, you're quite right, the forum should be run entirely for the enjoyment of short-fused, ill-mannered dullards with no imagination

 

[Rail Blues]

Sorry, you're quite right, the forum should be run entirely for the enjoyment of short-fused, ill-mannered dullards with no imagination

It isn't really worth dignifying your comment with a response as it so utterly strawmanish and displays all the characteristics you chastise others for - being rude, short tempered and showing a lack of any critical thought.

 

[B&I]

It isn't really worth dignifying your comment with a response as it so utterly strawmanish and displays all the characteristics you chastise others for - being rude, short tempered and showing a lack of any critical thought.

I thought you weren't thin-skinned ? And is anything I said actually inaccurate ?

 

[Rail Blues]

I thought you weren't thin-skinned ? And is anything I said actually inaccurate ?

Yes. All of it. Hope that helps.

Nighty night

 

[superalbs]

769s are a waste of time, and they should be forgotten about.

 

[Cowley]

Class 142s are a modern classic. Along the lines of a MK1 Golf GTi...

 

[contractador]

Class 142s are a modern classic. Along the lines of a MK1 Golf GTi...

It's a pity 141s are not still in service.

 

[318266]

Class 142s should be turned into replacement buses.

 

[Kite159]

The fast St Pancras - Sheffield services should skip Leicester, 3 trains an hour to/from London is plenty enough.

 

[Fearless]

Do away with the huge number of TOCs (it doesn't lead to competition anyway, if only one company serves a route) and go back to the business sector model of BR just before privatisation: InterCity, Local Passenger, Freight, Parcels & Mail (let's get all that back on the rails) and London/Southeast. Imagine a passenger being able to book through from Leeds to Aberdeen connecting at York, missing their connection but being able to jump on the next incoming train without having to buy a new ticket, as they would do now if that train is operated by a different TOC.

 

[mmh]

London Overground shouldn't have extended south of New Cross Gate, 8tph of 5 coach trains which can't be lengthened on a line updated to allow 10 car trains is a huge waste of capacity.

 

[B&I]

The Island Line should be turned into an Indiana Jones-style white knuckle ride. Veey little alteration would be needed to the current stock

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Do away with the huge number of TOCs (it doesn't lead to competition anyway, if only one company serves a route) and go back to the business sector model of BR just before privatisation: InterCity, Local Passenger, Freight, Parcels & Mail (let's get all that back on the rails) and London/Southeast. Imagine a passenger being able to book through from Leeds to Aberdeen connecting at York, missing their connection but being able to jump on the next incoming train without having to buy a new ticket, as they would do now if that train is operated by a different TOC.

You still can now, provided you respect the minimum connection times!

 

[tbtc]

Permit TOCs flexibility to set/ price/ withdraw "advanced" tickets if you want, BUT all "regular" fares (and definitions of "peak" etc) should be set by the Government and increased in line with a definition of inflation each year (whether that's CPI/ RPI/ +1%/ -1%/ whatever).

Allowing TOCs the "freedom" to tweak their own fares by more than just inflation (or things like withdrawing/restricting off-peak fares from certain services) causes a lot of confusion and generates a lot of the negative headlines that the railway gets each year. If it was a case of "The Government say that this year it'll be 2.8%" then we could all get on with our lives - instead there's always arguments because some fares go up by more than this (and some by less). Maybe every time there's a new franchise they should accept running that franchise without any flexibility to amend regular fares and we just see all fares currently priced by that TOC increase with "inflation" (albeit with the freedom to offer cheaper "advance" fares).

 

[g22]

The fast St Pancras - Sheffield services should continue to call at Leicester. While Leicester currently benefits from all trains stopping, the services it has do not go direct to that many destinations compared with many other places of a similar size therefore the current setup allows good connection options.

The DfT Train Service Requirement in the next East Midlands Franchise seems to agree.

 

[Basher]

As an ex railway workshops employee, I saw the power of the unions bring the demise of British Rail Workshops.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

HS2 is a waste of taxpayers money. Double deck trains on Chiltern is a better idea

That HS2 is a waste of taxpayer's money is not a controversial opinion! There's no need for double decker trains on Chiltern. Just make them a few cars longer. Three car trains between London and Birmingham!

 

[Kite159]

That HS2 is a waste of taxpayer's money is not a controversial opinion! There's no need for double decker trains on Chiltern. Just make them a few cars longer. Three car trains between London and Birmingham!

Agreed about the length of some services on Chiltern, I think there is even a couple workings which are a single 168/3!

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Beeching has been the victim of a smear campaign. The real villain was Barbara Castle.

I don't know if that's a controversial opinion, but it's certainly an interesting one. Feel free to expand on it any time you're ready.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

What is your controversial railway opinion?

That Beeching and his reports (multiple) were accurate and needed, and he and his principal assistants (Stewart Joy and Gerry Fiennes) all understood the basic principles of how to change the system for the better.

I don't think Stewart Joy was in B. R. during Dr. Beeching's term in office. I think he was appointed by Barbara Castle.

 

[A Challenge]

You still can now, provided you respect the minimum connection times!

Not if its a TOC only ticket and its a different TOC, its the next of that TOC.

Anyway, onto my controvesial opinion - trains should not be allowed into certain places critical to the running of services (for example the Welwyn Viaduct 2 track section or the Thameslink core) unless they are in a very good state of 'health' and there is no chance at all of them breaking down and blocking the line.

 

[Hapana]

I am always feel uplifted arriving at Slough Station due to the architecture

 

[The Ham]

HS2 will not only benefit London - Birmingham travel, but will benefit those traveling on routes like Southampton - Manchester (especially if the Southern Approach to Heathrow is built and direct trains between Woking and OOC). Each route may not generate much traffic, however there's likely to be quite a long list that there's quite a lot of stations within one or two changes at each end of a HS2 journey where HS2 would improve the journey time (especially as it's likely to increase frequenties when compared with XC and avoid the need to fight across London on the underground). Therefore the combined total could be quite significant, which is often overlooked by those opposed to HS2.

 

[Whattraintoday]

OK, I've already had a go on here, but I've got more opinions!

- Not only is HS2 a good idea, it should be the start of a backbone of high-speed rail across the UK:
- HS3 Hull to Liverpool via York, Leeds & Manchester
- HS4 Leeds to Edinburgh
- HS5 Leeds to London direct (relieving ECML)

Makes it a twin triangle network, with London, B'ham, Leeds & Manchester at the apexes. Plus extensions out.

Never mind the capital cost, it should be considered basic infrastructure for productivity in this country. Relief for existing lines is a major part of the justification as well.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I am always feel uplifted arriving at Slough Station due to the architecture

Grade 2 Listed , I think.