Recent content by starlightEXPRESS

When Woking station was opened (originally called Woking Common), the nearest large town was Guildford (around 6 miles to the south). The main entrance was positioned on the south side of the station, as this was most convenient for those arriving by stagecoach from the main towns in west...

This is a clear warning shot across the bows to those striking this week: "You may find your current role is less secure than you previously thought." But I doubt it will change many minds...

Then I think we are in agreement. The part of the core which is fully loaded or close-to-fully loaded is much smaller than most people realise.

But not if you include the Network Grant - it was the worst performer among the intercity TOCs (per passenger mile).

Yes exactly. The majority of passengers using XC are making relatively short journeys. If the network were reduced to the core "X" through Birmingham, it wouldn't be much better, because this problem would still be there.

So what is the problem then? Why can't XC pay its way? If the loadings are as good as you claim, why does it require more subsidy than every other intercity franchise?

So what is the problem then. Why can't XC pay its way? Why does it require more subsidy than every other intercity franchise? 1655225078 Firstly I said "half empty" and not "empty"... Yes. I have been on XC services outside of the peaks - particularly on the Reading-Birmingham stretch, but on...

Isn't the problem with XC that each unit is full for around 40 minutes in the morning rush and 40 minutes in the evening rush, but for the rest of the day they are half empty? So, they provide a useful commuter service for flows like Oxford-Banbury, Bristol-Taunton, Derby-Birmingham etc, but...

Thanks Bald Rick, that's what I have heard too. Just to be clear, when you say "outside London", do you mean outside "Greater London" and/or outside the the travelcard zones? Has zone 2-5 to central London travel generally recovered more?

Is it true that it's the middle-distance commuters who have been the slowest to come back? (I often see this assertion bandied about, without any real backup.) In the south east for example, has travel from zones 2-6 into central London recovered more quickly than from stations just outside...

Buckinghamshire (High Wycombe, Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross) and Oxfordshire (Oxford and Bicester) are more important markets for Chiltern than the West Midlands.

Presumably if a guard or ticket inspector checks that you have tapped in (using a mobile scanner), then the system will have a better idea of which route you are taking and can adjust the fare accordingly.

Sorry, this is just wrong. I am not going to waste my time explaining this again. 1647019653 What on earth have they been doing if they haven't done a simulated fully loaded test yet? Haven't they been doing tests runs for over 18 months already?

Leaf fall is significant, of course it is, but there are many places on the network with similar gradients and which are also tree-lined. This is obvious if you read posts from others - yes the NDL has steep gradients, but nothing exceptional - yes it has trees lining it (but actually there are...

20 m tall trees lining the route make an insignificant contribution to the rail adhesion issues relative to the topography. The major cause is the difference in elevation between the top of the North Downs (consistently in the range 200 m - 220 m above Ordnance Datum in the 11 miles from...