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The Red Wharf Bay line must be a strong contender. A mile from both Red Wharf Bay and the emerging resort of Benllech, a long way round to reach Bangor (15 or so miles versus 10 by road) and also at least one change of train to get there, or to Llangefni. It opened in about 1910, just in time...

Reminds me of the time Bangor station buffet had a notice up saying it was closed for lunch...

Perhaps you could describe the whole of Runcorn as a failed experiment. Who thought it was a good idea to put a large Liverpool overspill community on the other side of the river connected by just a narrow two-lane bridge (at that time)?

Not sure, to be honest. They always seem to be knocking on quite quickly whenever I see them in central London, though maybe they ignore the speed limit? The Thames is still pretty wide in the vicinity of Westminster, so I can't imagine wash is too much of a problem. A lot also depends on...

Always think it's a bit of a strange line. The stations all look like tube stations, which they effectively are, apart from the signage and, when you get to platform level, the trains themselves. I've always felt that it's never quite lived up to its potential. Perhaps it could be extended into...

That's interesting - I knew there would be a difference but never thought it would be so much. I'll check the advanced options in Trainsplit next time I travel out of area...

I suppose the Runcorn one is interesting if you're into failed experiments...

I and a friend travelled from south London to Biggleswade on a weekday last week. We both have Over-60 Oystercards and I have a Senior Railcard. He doesn't. I bought a return ticket from Finsbury Park to Biggleswade on Trainsplit for £16.90 with Senior Railcard discount. He bought a ticket at...

The Thames Clipper boats in London seem reasonably fast (15-20 knots cruising speed I would guess) but even those are mainly used by tourists rather than regular commuters. It doesn't help that they are more expensive than the alternative tubes and buses. It reminds me, I must try them again one...

Surrey Street market? (Big bowls of bananas, tomatoes or oranges for a quid.) The little bakery shop on London Road that does fresh nans three for a pound and the huge Turkish Food Centre?

I'm old enough to remember actual Irish coins being accepted in Anglesey. My parents would carefully sort through their change if they were going to Bangor, Llandudno or Chester on the 'mainland' to remove any Irish coins but not if they were heading for Liverpool, as they were also accepted...

Google says: Recent developments: The Kingsway Tunnel, completed in March 2023, diverts vehicle traffic under the eastern end of the runway. This tunnel is intended for cars, trucks, and motorcycles, so pedestrians and cyclists still have to use the level crossing, although the road is now...

Anyone mentioned Gibraltar yet? Definitely no trains, but there is a level crossing - for planes, not trains.

Or slower even than some of the ferry alternatives like the Newcastle-Amsterdam or Hull-Rotterdam routes.

I'd imagine that, if it happens, it would be highly geared towards freight, and mostly unaccompanied trailers at that. If it does include a passenger element, it'll only be so that political PR purposes. People might like the idea that they can hop on a ferry to France, but how many actually...

I'd envisage this would be more for trunk haul - get material up from the Midlands to Inverness, Aberystwyth etc than hand over to local delivery companies for final mile delivery. Though no reason why there couldn't be a station to station element as well.

I can't see there being the political will and organisation for long-distance railways to have developed in the 1600s. After all, if the governments of the day couldn't create an effective road system, what hope would there have been for railways with their more complex technology, need for...

If Maersk had really wanted to, they could probably have scoured the world market and found a substitute vessel and kept it going in 2018; clearly they didn't feel it was worth the candle. The selection of Dunkirk could be a matter of berth capacity at Ijmuiden. Maersk already serves Dunkirk...

I think there could be a market for this sort of thing, if the rail industry had the collective will and nous to implement it. It could be particularly useful on the more out-of-the-way branch lines and stations, which the regular couriers don't particularly want to service but have to in order...

It's a necessary precondition for the start of a service, but not the only one. DFDS will have to procure a suitable vessel and be satisfied that whatever subsidy arrangements are in place are to its liking. Ferry services between Scotland and Continental Europe have a long and chequered...