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This would only be the case if PC have a road to Damascus type conversion and become pro-growth in terms of housebuilding and Bangor to Caernarfon is identified as essential infrastructure to deliver a north-west Wales growth zone that included significant housebuilding in Caernarfon. That...

But how practical was a 6.25 ac conversion, bearing in mind this had already been done elsewhere? Also, assuming a decision to convert Wooddhead to 6.25kv ac was made in the late 1970s, were the classes 81-85 still dual 6.25kv/25kv ac voltage at this point. Or had the 1970s refurbishments left...

This might be a silly question, so I apologise in advance. But would it have been as straightforward to convert the Woodhead route to 6.25kv ac? My question is in infrastructure terms only. I fully appreciate it would have rendered the class 76's redundant overnight so would have required...

It would probably depend upon a few other 'what ifs'. If the line was kept open for local traffic as well as some long distance, then capacity would be dependent upon the frequency of the local services. If value had been seen in local services in the 1960s then it is not impossible that...

Cross Country services if the WR Wolverhampton Low Level to Birmingham Snow Hill hadn't closed. This would provide an alternative route for NW-SE services.

Short of the UK joining the Schengen Area, which wasn't even on the cards when we were in the EU, then the answer is probably no.

I've never really understood the obsession with the idea that every large town/small to medium sized city needs or should have a direct rail link to London. The UK economy is too London centric as it is. As is our political system, despite devolution to Scotland, Wales and, albeit in a more...

The tram network in Cologne's Altstadt isn't all that extensive. Most of the Stadtbahn routes are underground. Outside of the core of the city centre there is a more mixed picture. With regards to Manchester, whilst there are plenty of streets that theoretically have tram lines added, in...

The problem with the existing street running sections is that they impose limits on the additional length of trams. This constraint would not apply to purpose built underground sections and stations which could be designed to accommodate trams or metro trains of 6 or 8 vehicles and also travel...

A HSL project of this sort is probably going to be in the 'do not go here' cupboard for ministers for a generation, given the generally negative press HS2 has attracted. HS2 to Birmingham being a major success when it opens, either directly or as a result of benefits to the southern WCML...

HS1 (the railway line) does not face a separate identity. The infrastructure is operated by London St Pancras High Speed, but that is just the name of the concession holder. It isn't the public face of HS1 in just the same way that Network Rail isn't the public face of the conventional rail...

I am not sure why HS2 itself needs a brand or identity, just in the way that HS1 doesn't have one. In my opinion any branding would be more relevant to how GBR wants to group and market particular rail services. If there were to be a distinct brand identity for longer distance/higher speed...

Could HS2 still reach East Midlands Parkway? Yes, if there is the political will to back it and finance it. I am not aware there are any insurmountable engineering challenges. However, the real question is will HS2 each East Midlands Parkway? On the basis that the political will doesn't seem...

I'd be surprised if there are any proposals for a HS line as long as HS2 was originally planned. However I think smaller projects consisting of some higher speed cut offs to receive bottlenecks may be politically acceptable, particularly if HS2 delivers clear benefits when it opens. In my...

I think this is an important point. I personally think that it would be possible to group some services into an Intercity brand, with Avanti WCML, LNER and possibly XC to start with, together with certain MML and GWML services. Alhough I appreciate services on both of those routes may be more...

Is there any better versions of the map in the article? It's hard to see how ARUP's Heathrow Hub/M40 corridor route accessed Birmingham and connected to the WCML compared to the HS2 route eventually selected.

I visited the Bala Lake Railway's August gala yesterday and picked up a book about the history of the railway. I was aware that Jonathan (ex Bernstein) had been based there in the 1980s before moving on to pastures new, which the book of course covered. What I wasnt aware of was issues with...

I very much doubt the market potential for restoration of passenger services on the Oswestry to Gobowen branch has improved significantly since 2007. The capital costs alone of eliminating the A5 level crossing with a road flyover or a railway tunnel simply don't make sense to allow a shuttle to...

With the benefit of hindsight , particularly the issues HS2 later encountered with Phase 2, or perhaps even should there have been better foresight, was the Northolt Tunnel necessary? The tunnel replicates the route of the largely unused former GWR mail line to the Midlands. I have not...

I personally think NR will simultaneously not be abolished and abolished at the same time. And impossible paradox? Not necessarily so. What will almost definitely happen if/when GBR gets set up is that NR will be merged into it so loses a separate corporate identity. In that sense, it will be...