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It is reported in the Daily Mail yesterday evening (9th July 2024) that Royal Mail is to stop deliveries by railway. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13617517/Royal-Mail-stop-deliveries-railway-200-years.html?ico=topics_pagination_desktop Currently, mail trains run between London...

Thread opened to discuss alternative options in the light of the discussion on the thread entitled "Paddington-has-its-own-rules-but-what-are-they" at https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/paddington-has-its-own-rules-but-what-are-they.267743 Is this not the root of the issue? Would it not be...

Well put - it will be many years (if ever) before this line is ever built, judging by the procrastination over HS2 for which full approval has already been obtained as far as Crewe and construction works initiated. And all just to serve a minor university city in Fenland.

In the closed thread https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/i-have-been-charged-with-an-offence-but-i-feel-that-i-did-not-commit-it.242505/ , @urbophile made the following comment: Should passenger trains be identified to the public by their train numbers (and not just their origin/departure...

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/article-in-the-spectator-yesterday-its-time-we-stopped-subsidising-the-railways.240222/ That sums up the essence of the article. The railway network in Great Britain needs to focus on what rail does best in the light of the...

Should the rest of the UK follow Wales/Cymru and reduce the default urban road speed limit to 20 mph, as the Senedd decided yesterday? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62020427

The Sunday Times is reporting today that: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/secret-plan-to-close-all-railway-ticket-offices-as-strikes-grip-britain-7wcccnt3x Unfortunately, the full artice is behind a paywall. While electronic tickets have advantages for many, railway ticketing is currently...

The government has just announced electrification of the line between Wigan North Western and Lostock Junction, to be completed in 2024/5, but has not provided any indication of what alterations to train services are planned in the light of this extension of the electrified network. I have...

Mod Note: Posts #1 - #5 originally in this thread. Yet another failing that can be laid at the door of Bliar - meddling in Afghanistan in 2001, given that the Taliban are now about to regain control. Yet another example of the futility of liberal interventionism. One of the better things...

Mod Note: Posts #1 - #8 originally in this thread. I really don't understand why any European rail company is buying new sleeper cars. Longer distance international trains are dying, and in many places are already dead. There no longer seem to be any passenger trains on the following...

The BBC is reporting today that: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57720900 The article goes onto state that: Should councils that still subsidise selected bus services follow the example of Cumbria County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council in withdrawing such subsidies entirely? There is...

There are no places on the S&C line between Settle and Carlisle that merit regular public transport services at all, apart possibly from Appleby, which has a weekday daytime bus link to Penrith. Settle itself has an alternative station at Giggleswick. The S&C line is a basket case, with...

Miles of new bus lanes and more services promised - BBC News Call me a cynic, but I suspect many local authorities will look this gift horse in the mouth. It seems to be "one off" funding, but unless the pump priming leads to increased bus use that is commercially viable in the medium to...

Over the last 50 years, there are many examples of countries building new lines using standard gauge where their existing lines don't use standard gauge, or alternatively converting, or attempting to convert, some or all of their existing lines to standard gauge. Use of standard gauge instead...

It is a pity that this proposal was not carried out. Once Crossrail opens, freeing up platform capacity at Paddington, it could be reconsidered.

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/llangollen-railway-appoints-receivers.214702/ There are too many "preserved" lines in England and Wales, and only a limited number of people interested in railway preservation. It is inevitable that some will go to the wall...

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/hs2-phase-2a-recieves-royal-assent.214040/ Even if the eastern leg is not built, 2 tph could run up HS2 and, provided a suitable connection is built and the line electrified, via the ex-MR lines to Burton, Derby, Chesterfield and...

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/dailymail-one-in-five-train-services-could-be-axed-as-treasury-tightens-purse-strings.212638 The key messages regarding transport, namely "essential travel only" and "private good, public bad", will have to continue for much of...

Why this obsession with extending HS2 further north, yet alone NPR? The main benefits of a new high speed rail line are reducing journey times and increased capacity. The need for the latter doesn't really apply north of Crewe on the western leg, where routes diverge to a number of different...

The whole issue of split ticketing should be dealt with by the GB railway system adopting rule 11 of the Irish Railways conditions of travel which states that: 11. Re-booking at intermediate stations 11.1 Except where specially authorised, passengers are not permitted to re-book at an...