Recent content by Dolge

As well as being doubtfully feasible through Manchester the end result of all this would be a very slow service from Chester and North Wales to the airport - approaching 90 minutes from Chester. Isn't the better medium term option to run Chester to the airport via Crewe? I'm aware this isn't...

First only won the franchise by making ludicrously optimistic traffic and income projections for its final years. Pulling our with three years to go may have been allowed by the contract but it was still sharp practice which disadvantaged other who made more realistic bids. Just one aspect of a...

The 120 carriages are specified as being for non electrified lines. DMU's, bi-modes or battery powered.

Suggestion by George Monbiot that NR's deliberate deforestation of the cutting may have been a contributory factor in the landslide: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/25/green-natural-disasters-britain-farming-damage

I use e-cigs and as far as I know the only TOC to ban them is Merseyrail Electrics. It would need a specific ban and specific notices, as on Merseyrail, to have any effect - e-cigs are not covered by general smoking bans, not least because using them isn't smoking. Even then a ban would be...

"I once knew a chap from Chester, who called Chichester, Chi Chester" Everyone does. There's a Chichester St just off the town centre which everyone in my experience calls Chi Chester St.

Don't see the objection to this proposal, if Norwich - Liverpool is replaced with Norwich - Birmingham XC services, a Cambridge - Nottingham EMT service (or even Cambridge - Crewe) and Nottingham - Liverpool goes to TPEX. Better all round. On the numbers quoted there are only about 30 passengers...

To answer the original question - what rail improvements would create sufficient modal shift to affect the need for M4 enhancements? - the most obvious one is a radical improvement in services to Bristol and Filton, following electrification. At present there are two, well loaded, 2 or three car...

Yes there's a lot of bridges between Chester and Crewe. So what? NR know how to raise bridges and/or lower track. Electrification wouldn't be especially cheap because of the bridgework which is one reason its isn't going ahead, another being that it wouldn't allow much traffic to be transferred...

Can anyone clarify the new 'Wrexham North' station proposed to serve a bus link to the new prison? I assume this displaces older proposals for a new station south of Rossett? The most likely site I can see for a new station is off the big A483/A5586 roundabout. This would serve Gresford and Llay...

Branson leased the Pendolinos on the basis of a double taxpayer guarantee. Angel would not have bought the trains without assurances that: 1. any future franchise would continue the lease 2. if VT went bust the tax payer, through DOR would take over the lease. More fundamentally the trains...

Anyone know what investment is referred to in this report? http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10220494.Railway_investment_puts_Whitby_on_track/?ref=rss Sounds like a loop/extra track at Whitby, maybe something extra between Whitby and Grosmont. While on the subject, are there any moves...

Queensferry is the obvious site, with another one at Rossett when Wrexham to Chester is redoubled. But why should the Welsh Assembly pay to sort out Chester's traffic problems? Cheshire West and Cheshire Council have no interest in rail apart from London services.

This short platform micro station design, now it has been accepted at Conon Bridge and Beauly, is potentially a very useful idea for new stations on lightly used rural routes. At, say, £500,000 for a new station, with car parking, as compared to several million for a full scale station it...