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That sounds sensible and logical... and with my cynical hat on, that means it won't happen! There's quite a bit of old BR stock still knocking around with no sign of replacement - within GWR, there's the 150s, 158s, and 165/166s, SWR have the 158/159s, and Northern have a hodge-podge of 150s...

This seems like complaining "rich people pay for something, that must be wrong"? Are you also against the owners of a Bentley driving it on the roads, because the rest of us drive Fords or Toyotas? It's no different from any other charter train, just that this one is extra fancy and expensive...

Thanks @Class 466! I'll have to try and catch one next time!

Is the 'new' livery including a stripe down the side? We overlook HS1 and I noticed a 395 with a silver strip below the windowline recently, wasn't sure if my eyes were deceiving me.

IIRC that's so that the train can be split in the tunnel and all passengers get into the 'good' half to get out? So the effective 'standing room' has to be kept clear on normal services to allow the seated passengers from the other end of the train to move in an emergency.

I think using a common purple theme, and including Thameslink fully into the TfL fare structure on the appropriate routings, would be sensible. Especially through the core it should be used more like the Lizzie Line already is. I don't think renaming it would be sensible - people already know...

Pretty much, but my understanding was that the 99 was still somewhat limited on diesel power. I might be very wrong though! I was thinking about getting a 66 level of tractive effort off the wires. I think people have been saying over on the 99 thread that they're unsure if it'll manage that...

Would an articulated bi-mode locomotive be worthwhile? 6 axles, one side being diesel, one side being electric/battery? Still not 100% sure there's a need in the short-to-medium term though.

Oh I don't mean specifically a Desiro :lol: Just the general layout/setup of the 444. A flat fronted 5-car unit, doors at the ends of the cars, 23m long vehicles, 100-110mph max speed. Designed right a common platform could be used with a doors-at-thirds layout as well for a number of other...

Once again, I feel like a bimode 444 might fit the bill! Hell... a bimode 444 might be very useful for quite a few operators across the country. Make that bimode suitable for 25kV or 3rd rail and it would work great for SWR replacing the 158/159 fleet, for example.

That's very true- if easily retrofitted to the FLIRTs, for example, then it would make sense to do so. Probably not going to be possible to do affordably for all recent units though, so probably needs assessment on a case-by-case basis.

I see no reason to have an arbitrary age cut-off. Instead, base it on reliability, emissions/fuel use, and passenger comfort. The other big thing is structural integrity - steel bodied units will need ever more patching up due to corrosion, as we've seen with Mk.3 coaches as well.

The impression I got from the original article was that this is a safety backup - not something for regular use. Think of it as being like a sprinkler system in a building - yes it ruins all your stuff with water damage, but it prevents people being killed and prevents fire from destroying the...

I have to say I tend to agree with them - I'm not sure a 2 drink maximum is right, but being able to restrict drunk passengers is a good idea. I will often drink at the airport (especially before a night flight) but I don't get on the plane hammered. My husband is American, and he was appalled...

AI does *weird* things....

Totally agree with you on most of this @GraphitProjekt - especially the idea of a new line (EWR) being built without electrification which is totally bonkers. Short sightedness in national projects seems to be a British speciality. There is one aspect however where I think discontinuous...

I would be suggesting that the existing Elizabeth Line T5 terminating services continue onwards to Reading - of course, this may have issues with paths but my understanding is that the GWML (both fasts and slows) are a fair bit quieter west of Airport Junction anyway? Could run semi-fast to...

I don't think there's much point in putting checked luggage counters at OOC. A *lot* of people fly with just cabin bags anyway, and the added handling costs (including security) of taking the bags at OOC, putting them on the train (the correct train - no good sending someone's luggage to T4 when...

The ones on the WCML is the level of reservations, isn't it?

A 'stopping' service, originating in Stratford and calling at places like Ebbsfleet on its way to the continent would be good as a low-cost option - think the equivalent of getting a Ryanair flight from Stanstead, instead of a BA flight out of City or Heathrow. But I don't think it would fit...