Broken & Late Ltd: Britain's Railways

[Gangster Octopus]

Fair enough.

[Guy Profumo]

And closed and finished.

Kerr's miniature railway Arbroath



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...ntral-54250044

[Paul S]

The whole of the Class 80xs have been withdrawn today for safety checks after cracks were found on them. They are being checked and very slowly released back into service but this buggers up the whole of the East Coast the GWR with operators looking for alternatives. Apparently the disruption will last for "a prolonged period" with all services between Paddington, Bristol, Cardiff and Penzance cancelled today.

[Guy Profumo]

So, farewell, then to the InterCity 125

But, apropos of that advertising, wasn't a large part of the improvement in comfort down to the near universal adoption of welded rails on high speed lines rather than the

[Lang Spoon]

They are still running "inter city" in Scotland, to the unelectritified cities on the network (everywhere north of the Forth).

[Guy Profumo]

(missing link)



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...shire-57069437

[Guy Profumo]

They are still running "inter city" in Scotland, to the unelectritified cities on the network (everywhere north of the Forth).

Ta.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

All hail* Great British Railways.

*optional.

[Lang Spoon]

https://www.scotsman.com/news/transp...otland-3243431

more pissing over the powers of the devolved govts then. The bastards should have devolved network rail years ago.

[Ginger Yellow]

From the "plan":

TfL Overground services and many railways across Europe, including local and regional services in Germany and Sweden, use a concession model to contract with private partners to operate trains.These contracts have been more successful than franchising in enabling operators to be held to account for running trains on time, delivering passenger satisfaction and controlling costs.

And here I thought the franchising system was all the fault of the dastardly EU. Chris Grayling wouldn't lie about something like that, surely.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Here you goDCI Harry Batt

[DCI Harry Batt]

Thanks NS. I wish I'd managed to find it.

I was looking to mention this "flexible season tickets" scam that the government and train cos are trying to pull. Eight days' travel for a few quid less than a full month's ST, described as "a saving". Scheming, thieving sods.

[Crusoe]

Yes, I spent a fruitless evening with a spreadsheet comparing the different ticket prices to try and work out why anyone would bother. Not helped by NRE not knowing whether you can overlap the flexi tickets.

[DCI Harry Batt]

In a number of cases the "per working day's travel" cost is double that of a standard ST. With no "free trips to London at the weekend to have fun" bonus.

[Capybara]

Thanks for doing the work on this; it looks like it's as I feared but hadn't bothered to look into further. It's not a flexible season ticket at all by the looks of it. It's a carnet system which some operators already use ie a few quid off for buying several tickets in advance.

[Furtho]

Today I had to get on a train for the first time since March last year, in order to take my ailing laptop to IT for treatment. I've loved not having to commute, loved saving all that money and time (about 3.5 hours per day all told, of which about 2 hours is on the train), loved not having to deal with the uncertainty inherent in using London & Northwestern and/or the railway infrastructure in general. To cut a short story even shorter, the train broke down in the station and I never went anywhere at all.

[Paul S]

The new Northern line extension is due to open on 20th September.

[Nocturnal Submission]

The new Northern line extension is due to open on 20th September.

Good stuff. I might actually see how long it takes me to walk from Battersea Power Station to Stamford Bridge.

Are there any realistic plans for other new Tube lines, extensions or stations?

[Balderdasha]

I was looking for this thread today. Can someone please remind me how to claim for a delayed train ticket refund? My train is nearly an hour delayed.

[Paul S]

Good stuff. I might actually see how long it takes me to walk from Battersea Power Station to Stamford Bridge.

Are there any realistic plans for other new Tube lines, extensions or stations?

Not in the current climate. Weekend traffic on the Underground is now 75% on pre-pandemic levels but during the week it's still only 40% as people are still working from home. This means a high intensity service has to be provided but without half the revenue. The Bakerloo line extension makes the most sense but there just isn't the funding.

[ad hoc]

I was looking for this thread today. Can someone please remind me how to claim for a delayed train ticket refund? My train is nearly an hour delayed.

You have to check the train company website (Thameslink?) https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/co...%20hour%20late

[Capybara]

The new Northern line extension is due to open on 20th September.

Bah! I'm away the day it opens. Anyway, cue various attempts to set the new record for doing all the stations in the shortest time.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Not in the current climate. Weekend traffic on the Underground is now 75% on pre-pandemic levels but during the week it's still only 40% as people are still working from home. This means a high intensity service has to be provided but without half the revenue. The Bakerloo line extension makes the most sense but there just isn't the funding.

Would that be extending the Bakerloo into SE London?

[Ginger Yellow]

Yeah, it was supposed to be extended to Lewisham, but not until 2030. Even that is looking optimistic now.

[Paul S]

Would that be extending the Bakerloo into SE London?

Yes, down to Lewisham and then down to Hayes to take over the running of that branch from National Rail.