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I'm just asking if regular users of the Crewe-Shrewsbury route over the years have noticed a particularly loud rail roar on the approach to Wrenbury Station heading southwards? I first travelled on the route over 20 years ago and I'm sure I can remember hearing it even back then. Does anyone...

How would you feel if a couple of TOCs decided to bring back traditional steam trains to mainline passenger service on a token level, without altering ticket prices or availability? For example if Northern put a loco and mark 1/2/3 coaches on one of their existing S&C weekday diagrams, and if...

Do you think the decision-makers at the time chose the wrong line to close, between England and Welshpool? Ideally both would have remained open, however, the line they chose to close was the Whitchurch-Ellesmere-Oswestry-Welshpool route; the line they kept was the sparse Shrewsbury-Welshpool...

Why don't Northern order the same bi-mode trains which now operate on Greater Anglia services? These have been a great success and are generally considered better than the Civities. They would be ideal for routes like Southport to Manchester via Bolton and Blackpool to York, taking advantage...

What do people think about the idea of coach/bus services becoming part of the regular timetable across the country, and replacing train services on certain routes? It would be a similar arrangement to rail replacement transport in that the bus would only stop at the rail stations in the normal...

Are there any stretches of mainline or secondary track in use today which still have noticeably loud roaring rails? It was a lot more common in the 90s and 2000s but over the last 15 years the rail roar seems to have disappeared, apart from on the tube and some light rail networks. I know the...

Do you think some or all of the remaining freight traffic using the WCML towards Scotland should be diverted to use the Settle & Carlisle route instead? It would potentially free up one or more paths for extra passenger services, as well as improving reliability on the WCML; with only double...

Do you think the original NWT/FNW franchise covering the North West, North Wales and edges of Yorkshire & the West Midlands was the better all-round concept than what it became; one franchise for all of the north and a separate one for all of Wales? North Wales is more closely associated with...

Do you think the 'Tyldesley Loop Line' between Patricroft and Leigh has a strong case for reopening and either way where are the biggest tangible obstacles on the line of route? I don't know what it is like further west but between Monton and Ellenbrook the line doesn't look particularly...

At the time of the late 90s, Windows had become established; Internet Explorer was around in dial-up format; cars were generally of good quality without all the complicated mod-coms of today; (large) mobile phones were becoming quite common. However, social media hadn't become a thing at that...

Just wondering why Northern and subsequently WMT and TfW decided to go with a completely new build of train and new manufacturer for their new fleets, rather than going with the tried & tested 172s (with any mandatory modifications included)? The 172s are similar to the regional Civities from a...

With the problems outlined on the other thread about putting London trains through Castlefield to join up with Scotland services, what possible ways are there around this to allow through running between north and south Manchester without impacting on reliability, or at least providing Bolton...

A lot of people in this country like to refer to 'the good old days' of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s; I've heard people say life was simpler and easier, people were friendlier and had manners and respect, that you could go out in urban areas and leave your front door unlocked, better music, no 'elf...

What do you think is the likelihood of an electric railway tunnel being built between England and the USA, under the Atlantic Ocean, within either the next 50 or 100 years? The 'special relationship' is still there and as international business continues to develop, there will probably be...

Is the technology currently in place to potentially build road vehicles which require an alcohol test and subsequent reading of (for example) no more than 2 units to be present in the person's bloodstream, before being able to start the vehicle? If the technology is there, do you think it is...

A lot of people on this forum are quite critical of Manchester Victoria Station, especially the gloomy western platforms under the arena. However, how does the Victoria of the last 30 years compare with the station that was there beforehand, in the 70s and 80s? Did it have more character before...

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-members-overwhelmingly-back-further-strike-action/ 4 May 2023 RMT Press Office: RAIL union RMT announced the results of a re-ballot of members working for 14 train operating companies today which massively re-affirmed a mandate for further strike action. All...

In relation to the thread about early last services between London and the North West, in part to allow paths for freight trains up the WCML, I was wondering if the idea of dual-use freight-passenger trains has ever been floated and whether it could work now with the stock currently in use? For...

I have noticed a slightly negative perception on this forum towards ticket offices and some of the staff; not from everyone but quite a few posters over the years haven't had much positive to say; and there doesn't seem to be that much sympathy towards the future of them from these parts...

As WMT/LNWR is primarily a rail company for services within the West Midlands conurbation and the southern WCML, do you think they should give up their more northerly routes and let Northern run them? The two routes I'm thinking of are Liverpool-Crewe-Birmingham and Crewe-Stoke-Birmingham. The...