Recent content by cle

I do think that with better signalling, the NDL could be a more strategic route. As could Redhill-Ashford. As to what that would look like, it's harder to say. I would argue Gatwick - Kent (Strood/Medway via Maidstone, or Ashford/beyond) - is probably higher priority. And Three Bridges /...

I can't think of the last time I spent less than £200... I agree with this re suppressed demand. Yes the air traffic today is X flights... (but really some of the LGW / LTN type folks come from further west and north - vs London and home counties and would continue to fly on EZ) - but there is...

I think Reading West is better added full time to the Newbury as a call. And Reading Green Park gets the regular Paddington. Tons of development around there, and a lot of big companies within a 15 min walk (access could be a little better if it was more formally organized like a business...

I don't think the outcry of Ashford locals is really worth a hoot as a deterrent. No offence to them but it's been many years without intl service now, and there is no preordained right. If it made money, it'd return.

I agree and this has been looked at in the past, when there were some excess fast paths in the GWML. It’s doable but fiddly re Basingstoke - sending on to eg Salisbury is probably easiest. Winchester route is very busy w mixed patterns. Other options were around HEx / WRaTH type services vs...

I can't imagine they will have Clubhouses. But maybe the train could have one, for business passengers - could be quite a flex. If you could earn VS / KL / AF / DL air/sky miles too, that would attract a huge amount of users. Americans keep Eurostar running practically, the demand is massive -...

MK has grown a ton and take a lot of the oxygen in this type of discussion, but Northampton has grown massively too. And you're right, it is more of a traditional town centre / big square type of feel with the market, older buildings inc housing stock, cobbler heritage etc. Not to mention...

I thought it was a bit longer, like 15 or so...it's still a long time at slow speed. I didn't say or think it was a massive journey time hack by any means, but it should be way better.

This to be is a no brainer - XC should not be going along at 75mph for such a sustained, uncpmplicated route. It needs signal upgrades, line speed and then ideally junction works. Ideally another passenger tph could run along here (3tph shuttles? A Wessex SWT hourly to Reading? Something else...

Agreed. And also on the Stansted-Norwich service, and try to provide a solid 2tph Ely - Cambridge N/C/S - Stansted core service. Would an additional platform at Stansted (p4 - a side, out of the shed and in the elements) - be at all useful with the single bore tunnel? Not sure but could be...

Ely - so it doesn't work for that. Better to call there, but maybe re-align the service patterns to have less conflicts/paths at Ely itself. I wish there was space for a few bays - maybe some permissive working on the eastern side - to allow 1tph Ely-Ipswich and 1tph Ely-Norwich as extra...

I agree on the very small silly trains part, they should be much longer before any infrastructure works. I mean no disrespect to Norwich, it's a solid city and is geographically isolated, requiring good connections - but Cambridge has become something quite different and requires a different...

"yes, and..." I think it's both - huge unserved demand to/from Cambridge. Capacity at Ely may not be optimized (e.g should a Norwich-P'boro service exist, given what it does to capacity? how much freight is unused and could we reclaim it? could the Ipswich 2-hourly also not cross and turn at...

Agree. A lot of people travel to Bath too (I bet that is up there in the same estimation) - but it doesn't have great services other than the London-Bristol mainline and a few regionals. That second service to Peterborough, whether it goes on to Birmingham, or up towards Nottingham - or...

A second/new tph to P'boro would be a modest but big help here, whether they go on to Birmingham (that route through Stamford etc needs more service too) - or as a shuttle. It's a good question. But then Norwich gets a Birmingham service, which some might say Cambridge needs. Leicester too...