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I think power electronics was a game changer. The move to AC motors and static rectifiers and inverters made lots more possible.

I had a bollocking from the garage about my turbo-diesel. He said the turbo needs to have oil running through it for a while before giving it some welly. needs 30 seconds idle before setting off. train engines are bigger so probably need more time. HST's were failing with cracks because of...

yes. but not an entirely new line.

save the horrendous costs of building in an urban area too. But you would need to add some infrastructure near manchester. Grade separated junction at Slade lane?

It wont be ideological if the people who lend to HMG get frit about repayments and interest rates rise. Some of us remember Denis Healey having to go to the IMF because of over-borrowing. That could easily happen to UK unless some effort is made to cut borrowing. And why should the covid cost...

Of course virgin never owned any trains. they were all leased. One wonders what the finance guys thought about residual value risk.

Good plan. I think Nottm people having to drag out to Toton was a big flaw in the eastern leg design.

what would be the benefit in journey time of using HS2 as opposed to existing St Pan - Sheffield trains? Same for Nottingham and Derby?

If, as I suspect will happen, that WFH becomes mainstream and commuting falls off by a fair bit, the railway will have to look more and more to leisure travel for revenue. And that will mean weekends and evenings. Big challenge for the railway in terms of ticketing, maintenance schedules and...

When they were developing APT, the thing they were scared of was a wrong side failure of the tilt. So when the requirement the coach would tilt to the left it would tilt to the right, putting it out of gauge. I dont know if that is a possible failure on pendos/voyagers. there was also another...

and this going over budget is what makes the treasury nervy. GWR electrification and crossrail both had considerable cost over-runs. They will be adding in considerable extra contingency into their spreadsheets, probably making a lot of stuff unaffordable.

I am afraid that the whole project, bar london-brum, is at severe risk of being canned. the public finances are in a complete mess post covid. And WFH will calm down the peaks once people go back to the office. And its largely the in peaks when capacity matters. I think a root and branch review...

would be a good project now IMHO

didnt picc-vic have a flyover at slade lane as part of the project?

I dont think centreline was free, or am I confusing it with the bus stn - city stn 401 service in Leeds??

what about people with old phones or no smart phone. The test and trace fell down on that with 20% of people unable to install it. having location services on all the time will drain the phones battery what about receipts for expenses claim? and seeing the clusterf*ck with Northerns TVM network...

Anybody remember the centreline bus? pre metrolink it would wend its way through the city centre from picc to vic. quicker to walk.

Just re-looked at the pic in the guardian article in the first post. It looks like they are special pantographs designed to pick up from 2 parallel wires. like trolleybuses had 2 trolley poles. That will be because there is no way for return current through the rails, cos there are none. So...

I am thinking when its a bad weather day and a train encounters a load of trees on the line. what does the driver do. (Probably uses GSM these days)

surely if one breaks down and decides to go back for some reason, you could end up with 2 trains going the same way in the same section. or is that banned?