Mad ideas?

[Cowley]

I’m surprised that nobody has come up with this simple yet obvious solution:
Convert all of the third/forth lanes of the busiest motorways into high speed rail lines. No, hear me out...
1) A ready made high speed network and no expensive new planning required.
2) Nice gentle curves already in place.
3) Already goes where people want to actually go.
4) Gets traffic off the roads because there’s less room for it (this bit may need a bit of work).
5) Easier to train new drivers due to the far simpler motorway signage and existence of cheap good quality satellite navigation systems.
I could go on but I don’t want to hit you with too much genius in one go.
I need a lie down anyway...

 

[Cowley]

Due to enter service during the new timetable change from York to Scandinavia via lindisfarne. Numbered as the class 145 "super pacer"

Oh that’s good. That’s the local services sorted.

 

[ian959]

Put a coach behind the loco on all freight services that can be used by enthusiasts.

You stole the idea from Australia! It happens here on all East-West freights, but only for crew use!

 

[Mag_seven]

You stole the idea from Australia! It happens here on all East-West freights, but only for crew use!

Actually I stole the idea from Switzerland where the trains that carry lorries over the alps have a passenger coach for the (lorry) drivers!

 

[Howardh]

Due to enter service during the new timetable change from York to Scandinavia via lindisfarne. Numbered as the class 145 "super pacer"

Ha, ha...that's brilliant! Shouldn't it be called the Grayling Cross-sea Express, full of holes and likely to sink the minute it sets sail? Oh, hang on, he gave the contract to a rail company that doesn't have any ships...

 

[MarkyT]

Actually I stole the idea from Switzerland where the trains that carry lorries over the alps have a passenger coach for the (lorry) drivers!

Same applies on the Eurotunnel freight shuttles.

 

[Entertexthere]

New mad idea!!

a new build with the wheel configuration of 0-0-0, to operate mainline services between Inverness and Stanley in the Falklands. Gonna need a new mainline built utilising old roads where possible and a new mainline built over the pacific and Atlantic ocean. The line top speed is 3mph and it shall be called HS29. Need a budget of £104b and spend it all except a few 1p pieces on stuff that we don't need. We'll also use redundant pacers, super pacers and Grayling's vehicle when necessary.

 

[Indigo Soup]

Okay, a slightly saner one. Upgrade all the inter-city main lines to 125mph and four tracks, and all other lines to 100mph and a minimum two tracks, with four-aspect signals throughout. Even the Heart of Wales and the Far North.

So expensive as to be totally impractical, but actually makes some sense. After all, whether you're driving from Derby to Birmingham, or Wick to Thurso, you drive at the same speeds and leave the same stopping distances.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Re-route the Didcot - Oxford line via Abingdon, tunnelling underneath Abingdon with a station beneath the town centre.

Oh and electrify and four-track it while you're at it.

Or just build a monorail between Radley and Harwell Campus via Abingdon and the A34 with a 3 car train every 5 minutes and the track draped really low over the A34 so only Caterham cars can use it afterwards.

 

[Howardh]

Aircraft that can take off on rails, and on landing retract the wings, be directed back onto rails and continue their journey to central London/Manchester/Liverpool etc.

Manchester Victoria announcement; #"The next plane to arrive at Platform 5 is the delayed Northern/Easyjet 1425 from Malaga, we apologise for the delay caused by a headwind over France".

 

[Peter Kelford]

Another saner idea: Hand over the British rail network to enthusiasts and line groups.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Replacement of the keystone of the middle arch of Ribblehead Viaduct with Grayling's head...

 

[LUYMun]

1. Reopen the Hatfield and St Albans Abbey Line.
2. Build an underground platform at Watford Junction so Abbey line trains can cross over to the Watford DC line.

 

[swt_passenger]

What I want to know, is once we are travelling around generally on monorails or in hyper-loop tubes, will there be a dedicated space provided for our jet-packs, and will you be able to refuel jet-packs during the journey?

 

[Cowley]

Replacement of the keystone of the middle arch of Ribblehead Viaduct with Grayling's head...

Eggs are very strong structures to be fair.

 

[Entertexthere]

What I want to know, is once we are travelling around generally on monorails or in hyper-loop tubes, will there be a dedicated space provided for our jet-packs, and will you be able to refuel jet-packs during the journey?

only if they're powered by nuclear waste!

 

[Cowley]

only if they're powered by nuclear waste!

Upcycling? It just gets better and better.

 

[randyrippley]

Abandon HS2 and instead build a new line comprising double-deck pre-cast tubes sunk into the route of the canal network.
Grand Union for London-Birmingham, other canals elsewhere. In some areas tubes could be sunk into the river bed - e.g. the Trent for access to the east midlands

 

[Cowley]

Abandon HS2 and instead build a new line comprising double-deck pre-cast tubes sunk into the route of the canal network.
Grand Union for London-Birmingham, other canals elsewhere. In some areas tubes could be sunk into the river bed - e.g. the Trent for access to the east midlands

That’s pretty good actually, and no need for gradients because it could just use locks.

 

[Entertexthere]

Abandon HS2 and instead build a new line comprising double-deck pre-cast tubes sunk into the route of the canal network.
Grand Union for London-Birmingham, other canals elsewhere. In some areas tubes could be sunk into the river bed - e.g. the Trent for access to the east midlands

however riding it would give you quite a sinking feeling!

 

[GrimShady]

The return of SpeedLink.

 

[gingertom]

That’s pretty good actually, and no need for gradients because it could just use locks.

a step change in the passenger experience...

 

[Ted172]

1. Reopen the Hatfield and St Albans Abbey Line.

The St Albans Abbey Line is already open with trains operated by London Northwestern Railway...

 

[LOL The Irony]

The St Albans Abbey Line is already open with trains operated by London Northwestern Railway...

I think they mean Hatfield to St Albans

 

[Bevan Price]

Put a coach behind the loco on all freight services that can be used by enthusiasts.

They used to do something like that on a few branch lines - "mixed trains" - but involving trip freight workings rather than the modern concept of liner trains. One problem was slow journeys, as they allowed time to pick up or deposit freight vehicles at station sidings.

 

[318266]

Replace all bus services with Class 390 operated train services.

Turn Pacer trains into rail replacement buses. Passengers wouldn't know the difference!

 

[DPWH]

Regauging the whole network to 5ft (1524mm) gauge without altering the loading gauge should take the cake being an enormous undertaking with an astronomical price tag and no use whatsoever.

Have you not heard of Brexit?

 

[The Ham]

How about this as a mad suggestion:

I do wonder if there could be an advantage in the DfT buying 20*5 coach bimodal trains and asking TOC's to "bid" to use them to trail what happens if there's extra capacity provided on a series of different routes with any released units then used to further increase capacity. With analysis undertaken to see how that impacts on income/costs.

Part of the bid process would be to agree the amount payed for the units, however I would suggest something like x% of the extra income.

It would give them a basis for understanding what routes are likely to justify extra rolling stock for future franchises.

Although there'd be some upfront costs, much of those could be recouped at the end of the trail by selling the units on.

It would get the DfT a lot of good press coverage when the bid process was launched and again when trail was started. Especially if it was being used to determine the best way of investing in rail so as to reduce the CO2 emissions of the country.

 

[03_179]

New TOC:
Trans Rail.
12 car Pacer units rebuilt to run as 125 mph through the Donald Trump Tunnel from the UK to the USA.
UK's start point will be Berney Arms International to Area 51 International, Nevada.
The Train planning will be done by Chris Grayling.
All Construction by Carillion.

Actually just thought someone might think this is a good idea and actually do it !

 

[03_179]

Another saner idea: Hand over the British rail network to enthusiasts and line groups.

Would run ok and have good traction on each service

1. Reopen the Hatfield and St Albans Abbey Line.
2. Build an underground platform at Watford Junction so Abbey line trains can cross over to the Watford DC line.

Actually 2) not a a bad idea as such, maybe modify to run down the WCML and then to the DC lines.