Loco-Hauling vs Multiple Units for InterCity Operations.

[zwk500]

Yes, unfortunatly. As far as I know, the current linespeed is 90mph or less. Most of Anglesey is 75 with 40 or 45 between Llanfairpwll and Bangor.

That is why I said should in italics. A Class 805 won't be able manage Holyhead to Chester in 60 minutes. According to railmiles it is 84 miles 31 chains.

The fastest train today, stopping only at Bangor and Llandudno Junction, does the run in 1h 27m. That is with a class 67 hauling four mk4 coaches.

There is simply not the traffic to justify the cost of raising and maintaining the track speed above 95/100mph (wherever the category boundary is). As you get higher speeds, tolerances decrease and standards and cost increase. There are defined categories so this moves in a stepwise fashion at certain speed boundaries.
To run 84.5 miles in 60 minutes is, evidently, an average speed of 85mph. If you accept Britannia and Conwy bridges can't be sped up and allow for stops at Bangor, Llandudno Jn and Chester, you're looking at requiring a ruling linespeed for the rest of the line of 100mph, probably needing 110mph in places, to achieve that timing. (85miles at 100mph is 51 minutes, so allowing 3 mins per stop brings you to 1h precisely. However Bangor is a bit far from the Britannia bridge so you'd need some 110mph running elsewhere to compensate to achieve 1h). The cost of maintaining a 110mph railway will far exceed the revenue available from a handful of trains per day able to make proper use of it.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Yes, unfortunatly. As far as I know, the current linespeed is 90mph or less. Most of Anglesey is 75 with 40 or 45 between Llanfairpwll and Bangor.

That is why I said should in italics. A Class 805 won't be able manage Holyhead to Chester in 60 minutes. According to railmiles it is 84 miles 31 chains.

The fastest train today, stopping only at Bangor and Llandudno Junction, does the run in 1h 27m. That is with a class 67 hauling four mk4 coaches.

These must be very long term aspiration for North Wales as none of the rolling stock TfW currently have or have on order is capable of higher than 100mph.

 

[Meerkat]

If the fast trains went that fast wouldnt they have to put back in a load of four track to keep the stoppers out of the way?

 

[Andrew*Debbie]

These must be very long term aspiration for North Wales as none of the rolling stock TfW currently have or have on order is capable of higher than 100mph.

Yes, but it is in the goverment's long term plan. See second slide.

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