Search results

One of the problems with HS2 haas been that some rail and transport 'experts' have criticised it from the beginning. People like Christian Wolmar have constantly denigrated the project without ever costing any alternative schemes which would give the same benefits. This gives the Govt. a...

The M4 doesn't improve anything 'up there' Were you against that? There seems to be an impression among some people that money saved by not building HS2 will be spent on other rail schemes. It wont. It will go into the general coffers to be used on the NHS or schools or roads or to lower taxes...

Why do people write posts that are not only wrong but easy to prove are wrong. I have a 1953 London Midland timetable. Table 50:- 08.00 Manchester and Liverpool Restaurant car, 08.30 Liverpool Restaurant Car, 08.50 Birmingham and Wolverhampton Restaurant Car 09.05 Birmingham and...

It's not just the number of passengers though, it's where they are going. An example from Birmingham New Street. Take the off peak hour from 12.00 to 12.05. In those 5 minutes trains leave serving:- Wolverhampton Stafford Crewe Runcorn Liverpool South and Lime Street Tamworth Burton on Trent...

The estimated cost of congestion for the next 16 years is £300billion. The annual cost of congestion on major roads in the UK is £9billion. These are hardly low sums. Why should somebody be dishonest to dislike cars? There are other costs involved that motoring delivers:- Costs to the NHS in...

Well, My wife and I travelled in week-end first from Scotland on a staff pass (ex BR) a few weeks ago and not only did I get the freebies, they didn't want my £50 either! Told me not to worry, nobody will ask for it!

I think I read somewhere that Ian Walmsley has made a bet that the 769's will never turn a wheel in anger!

Perhaps the reason is the French system at more than 29000 miles is far bigger than ours. They need far more trains than we do. It's a much bigger Country altogether which makes our inability even to fully electrify a short flat, straight main line even more reprehensible The vast majority of...

Isn't this typical? Here we are discussing loops and services on a line that will probably never get built. Like many projects it grows like Topsy. More and more authorities come on board making planning more and more complicated. Costs leapfrog as the spec becomes ever more ambitious. We should...

I'm worried about 'jimm'! He seems to be under the impression that the new trains are animate objects and that if they hear criticism of themselves they'll go into a sulk and refuse to run. He accuses people of being somewhat overheated in their approach to these trains, and yet can barely...

Why is anyone who criticises a train regarded as a hater or ranting. I dont hate the 800. I simply asked does it seem like a 40 year advance on an HST? Clearly some of you think it does. Examples given are the toilets are better! Shouldn't they be? Someone is obsessed with drag racing! What I...

I have not travelled in a class 800. I have not sat in the seat. But I look at the reports and photos and videos, and I ask, does this train display the advances it should over a 40 year old HST? Compare a 40 year old car with one built today, and the improvements are vast, in performance...

"Facilitating a Bedford/Milton Keynes direct connection would require the acquisition of 3rd party land and the construction of a significant amount of new infrastructure to allow the installation of a new east chord immediately north of the existing marshalling yard. Both of these would be...

Depends how you interpret the results. What's the difference between 'they are very good trains' and 'they are fine', but prefer 40year old HST's? One could argue that only half the voters think they are very good trains! which considering they are on a line which had Pullman trains in the...

In considering Pendolinos, we should emphasize that these are the premier trains on Britain's premier line. In some respects they should be the best we've got. And it depends what you compare them with. I fear most people using them have never been on a proper inter-city train as one would...

As a Milton Keynes resident,I hope to goodness the Chiltern diesels dont come anywhere near MKC I dont want these noisy polluting horrors grumbling away in our bay platform. It's bad enough having the awful Voyagers stopping every hour or so. Nice electric cars and buses outside and...

In that case why are they electrifying it instead of going for the weird and wonderful suggestions for our railways, viz bi-modes, batteries and hydrogen cells? The website metafilter post has interesting cab rides on the line. Rather demonstrates trains are more frequent and longer than you...

What I dont understand, as a complete ignoramous in these matters, is why no other Nations seem to be adopting the same attitude towards electrification. France just opened TWO high speed lines on one day, both I belive electrified. Denmark has embarked on a programme to electrify its whole...

But why was it nationalised, by the Tories of all people? Because the private sector made such a pigs ear of it.

I cannot see what Mr Rutnams cv has to do with anything. It is his present job that should concern all taxpayers! Incidentally a modicum of common sense would have indicated that the P was just a typing error for which I apologise. Anyway the DfT has presided over not only the GW fiasco...