Most sensible (least daft) main line restoration

[Bevan Price]

Chinley - Matlock, and re-double Matlock to Ambergate.
Use to improve services between Manchester area & East Midlands (Derby, Leicester etc.)
Pay heritage line to move to another location.

 

[snowball]

Waverley Route would have good political support but I am sure Scotland will spend its money on electrification .

If sheep had the vote ...

 

[GRALISTAIR]

If sheep had the vote ...

You cynic sir!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

.

Stratford to Honeybourne didnt even make the restoring your railway cut

I suspect that has a lot to do with that it would be very difficult and expensive to build now that a road is roughly occupying the old railway track bed at the Stratford end. Like I said, I was ignoring difficulties building the thing. Also, wasn't the 'restoring your railway' submission only about Stratford to Honeybourne? Taking it all the way to Cheltenham would connect several significant communities so I suspect would attract many more passengers (assuming it had magically already been built).

 

[YourMum666]

Waverley line, and have avanti and Scotrail run trains through the line

 

[Irascible]

Melton Mowbray to Notthingham? (for Norwich - Livpool to avoid using ECML)

That's still 90% there isn't it, and probably one of the better looked after parts of the network!

Redoubling the WoE line gets my vote.

 

[daodao]

The Derry Road (Portadown-Omagh-Derry)?

 

[Falcon1200]

However, to me it offers the chance for a reasonably timed journey between Manchester and Sheffield

One key word needs added to the end of that phrase; Victoria! Running through to Sheffield Midland, essential for connections to other routes, trams and buses, would require either a time-consuming reversal at Nunnery Junction or an equally time-consuming diversion via Barnsley. And does not the Midland route already provide reasonably timed journeys between Manchester and Sheffield, on a half-hourly basis?

Waverley line, and have avanti and Scotrail run trains through the line

Waverley extension to Hawick should be seriously considered, but beyond is a non-starter; The distance from there to joining the WCML is over 40 miles through, basically, absolutely nothing. Local traffic cannot justify restoration, and use by main line services would require expensive upgrades as per my post #21.

 

[The Planner]

Also, wasn't the 'restoring your railway' submission only about Stratford to Honeybourne? Taking it all the way to Cheltenham would connect several significant communities so I suspect would attract many more passengers (assuming it had magically already been built).

Indeed, as I said. Though surely if someone thought Cheletenham had a better case, why didnt they go for it?

 

[Bald Rick]

Indeed, as I said. Though surely if someone thought Cheletenham had a better case, why didnt they go for it?

IIRC it was a particularly poor business case.

 

[Rescars]

This may be an answer to a slightly different question, but if we still had the additional capacity of the Great Central, would we be getting HS2?

 

[zwk500]

IIRC it was a particularly poor business case.

It really must have been bad given some of the business cases that did get through.

 

[The Planner]

This may be an answer to a slightly different question, but if we still had the additional capacity of the Great Central, would we be getting HS2?

I suspect so, as the Great Central couldn't relieve the Cov corridor. Also factor in that the Chiltern line would have nowhere near the service it does today if the GCR was still about.

 

[70014IronDuke]

I had a look at the western end about 20 years ago so this would have been before wires were moved from the older tunnel.

It's unlikely that any of the above are going to happen soon, but the theme is about the most sensible reopening, I'd say Woodhead is up there. Also as mentioned above it would provide a better service and new connections (either direct or with a change) for places like Penistone, Stocksbridge and Barnsley.

The theme is about "the least daft" reopening.

Unfortunately "least daft" is still daft.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Woodhead is not going to happen.

 

[Bartsimho]

That's still 90% there isn't it, and probably one of the better looked after parts of the network!

Redoubling the WoE line gets my vote.

That's the Old Dalby Test Track isn't it? swing it off the old line at Keyworth heading north to go East of Normanton on the Wolds, between Nottingham City Airport and The Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club and connecting to the Trent fields Viaduct to still have the same path into Nottingham from the west. It is single track and I think the service would pass itself along that line but what would be better the current Peterborough-Grantham stops or a Peterborough-Oakham- Melton Mowbray stops? with hourly Nottingham-Skegness taking the Nottingham-Grantham passengers

 

[A0]

Not that its viable, March to Spalding

To be pedantic, the OP said 'Beeching era' and that one was long after the good Doctor's report.

 

[Irascible]

That's the Old Dalby Test Track isn't it? swing it off the old line at Keyworth heading north to go East of Normanton on the Wolds, between Nottingham City Airport and The Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club and connecting to the Trent fields Viaduct to still have the same path into Nottingham from the west. It is single track and I think the service would pass itself along that line but what would be better the current Peterborough-Grantham stops or a Peterborough-Oakham- Melton Mowbray stops? with hourly Nottingham-Skegness taking the Nottingham-Grantham passengers

That's it, it's just missing the top end, also a fair bit is double track iirc, and partly wired ( I think only one line is wired ). We'd need a new thread with proposals for where to site a new test track! it seems to go through cycles of busy and idle, I'm not sure you could sensibly run a test schedule around service trains.

If it was going to happen I suspect it would have already ( especially when the test track nearly shut ).