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In terms of the southern section of HS2: - Build intermediate stations between London and Birmingham (roughly following the M1 then M6, instead of M40). Perhaps Luton Airport, Milton Keynes and Coventry, maybe also Watford Junction or Northampton. 4 tracks through each intermediate station...

I actually think this is a really good idea. Willesden Junction has the potential to be another Stratford/Clapham style hub station, and expanding it seems better value than building a new hub at Old Oak Common nearby. Willesden Junction has several rail routes passing nearby, and would still be...

I think there would be some advantages of splitting up Crosscountry and Thameslink (as well as some individual services within other franchises), but would not be possible without some major infrastructure changes, as there isn't the capacity to terminate more trains at London and Birmingham. I...

Might be difficult to justify having the security/border facilities at more than two UK stations again, but I think Ashford would be the best option if just one more stop is added. Therefore passengers at Stratford/Ebbsfleet can use Southeastern services to change at Ashford, rather than going...

Perhaps could run a higher frequency service each to New Barnet and Gordon Hill, with alternate trains extending to Welwyn and Hertford. Then introduce a new 2tph Thameslink service, extending from the core via Finsbury Park, limited stop to Hertford, and replacing the section through to...

Since the 379s have started to be introduced, are 700s now being replaced on the fast services via Cambridge?

The answer to increasing capacity will always involve High Speed Rail. This is what many countries in continental Europe (where rail fares are generally a lot cheaper than the UK) have been introducing, not just for quicker journeys but also to address capacity. I think we need to view the...

Since ScotRail and TfW are remaining, it would make sense to split the English network into similarly sized regions (bigger than the current franchises) - with the exception of long distance Intercity routes. It would seem odd to introduce a Union Jack based livery for England but not Scotland...

I think there are advantages of keeping local identities for each part of the country, adapting from the current franchises. However if GBR want to simplify (but without the whole network using the same branding), something like this could work, basically merging franchises to a small number...

What would also help regardless is extending the fare zone structure for contactless, giving more simplified and standardised prices. And more consistent fares between routes - currently Metropolitan/Chiltern fares from Central London to Herts/Bucks is a fraction of the cost of going to nearby...

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In my opinion, I don't think this helps, as there a different reasons for trains terminating at a particular station. To keep things fair, it makes sense to keep the boundary at a similar distance for each line. If it were to be extended to Basingstoke and Alton, there could then be an argument...

I think for the contactless expansion to be fair, it should cover stations of a similar distance in every direction. Places like Cambridge or Milton Keynes seem too far out for TFL fares. Places will get left out wherever the boundary is drawn, but roughly would make sense to stop near the...

I think ideally the London metro routes from all franchises (but particularly in South London) should be transferred to TFL. Either run in a similar way to the Overground, or just applying TFL branding if it makes sense operationally to manage alongside longer distance routes. As the metro...

If GBR were to keep regional brands across different parts of the country, this doesn't necessarily have to be categorised as the current TOCs are now. In many cases a route is part of a particular franchise for operational reasons rather than geography. For example the Reading-Gatwick line...

Orange is also used for the Network Rail logo, so there clearly isn't an opposition to using the colour for the railways. Plus all UK trains are currently required have the orange line along the top of carriages. I think an orange livery (similar to TGV) could be better for regional/stopping...

If all operators/regions are to get a standardised livery, I don't think this should be based on the flag. Looking at nationalised railways in other countries, very few brands are based on their flags. I think the NSE blue/red/white is quite jarring (and am not a fan of the London Underground...

In the current form, as other comments have already mentioned, it would be difficult to justify adding a stop at Blackfriars when alternatives are already available to connect to Waterloo and Bank (though a direct Blackfriars-Waterloo bus route could be useful). Maybe platforms at Blackfriars...

Could also consider using Thameslink from St Pancras to London Bridge, then change for Southeastern to Waterloo East? KCSP and Waterloo are both major tube stations with long corridors etc, so may save time getting to/from the platforms.

Some thoughts on this topic: Firstly, I don't think the Croxley Rail Link ever had that much potential. The Metropolitan line would have taken quite an indirect route from Watford Junction/High Street towards London - I doubt many passengers would switch from LNR or Lioness services. It would...