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Broken & Late Ltd: Britain's Railways

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    The Brighton main line has gotten so bad Network Rail has decided it needs to be closed completely for two blocks of 9 days each over the next year or so, so they can stop the tunnels from leaking and patch up the signalling again. Commuters have been told that it might be a good time for them to take their holidays and that everything will definitely be tickety-boo when they come back.

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      I hope it works.

      I like the idea of this, in a crayonist way.

      http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/we..._campaign/bml2

      Labour have made a lot of spending money out of the South East, so it would look a bit "meet the old boss" if they took it forward, however good it could be.

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        Get out.

        Re-open the "High Peak" railway betwixt Matlock and Buxton, The Woodhead Tunnel, and push the Wensleydale Railway through to Kirkby Stephen as your priorities!

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          Nah, extend the Aberdare Line to Hirwaun before anything else happens.

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            Originally posted by Tubby Isaacs View Post
            Nah, extend the Aberdare Line to Hirwaun before anything else happens.
            The Cromford Incline.

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              Give me a ticket machine at Ledbury, and it's yours.

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                Barge to Waregem...

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                  Originally posted by Tubby Isaacs View Post
                  I hope it works.

                  I like the idea of this, in a crayonist way.

                  http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/we..._campaign/bml2

                  Labour have made a lot of spending money out of the South East, so it would look a bit "meet the old boss" if they took it forward, however good it could be.
                  Yeah, it probably won't make a lasting difference sadly - I remember reading somewhere* years ago that when the Quarry Line (which bypasses Redhill between Gatwick and East Croydon) was opened in 1900 there had been a plan to convert the entire line to a four-track route to create extra capacity. That didn't happen because of the cost and practicalities of basically rebuilding everything between Three Bridges and Brighton, which would involve doubling four tunnels, and a lengthy viaduct in addition to six intermediate stations and all the bridges and other permanent way. So the southern half of the route has been subjected to a make-do-and-mend approach to the problem for the best part of 120 years.

                  Which makes the government judgement that there is no case to support the BML2 proposal seem rather odd. There are issues with it, such as the Uckfield route not being electrified and so requiring diesel units, but it wouldn't be without benefit. Apparently, they left the door ajar by saying it might become viable if the communities along the route agreed to build extra housing, but that would seem to be rather contrary to the goal of freeing up capacity.

                  * Either this or this I think
                  Last edited by SouthdownRebel; 19-01-2018, 21:34.

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                    So the line from London to Brighton is rubbish? Jesus, I’d have imagined that all shiny and electric. England really hates its coast.
                    Last edited by Lang Spoon; 19-01-2018, 22:00.

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                      The Essex Coast is well served by electric trains.

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                        The DfT seem to say "could be viable with more housing" quite a lot. Poor old John Prescott was on to this yonks ago, but just copped accusations of "concreting over the south east".

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                          Originally posted by Tubby Isaacs View Post
                          The Essex Coast is well served by electric trains.
                          Yeah, but that’s tons of folk right next to the megalopolis. Not too impressive further North. Alright the route toward Brighton is sparser populated than the north bank of the Thames Estuary, but I’m really surprised that hasn’t been upgraded or well maintained. It must have a fair amount of passengers on it.

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                            Electric, yes. Shiny, not so much.

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                              Sounds more like it. Britain at its best.

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                                Originally posted by Lang Spoon View Post
                                Yeah, but that’s tons of folk right next to the megalopolis. Not too impressive further North. Alright the route toward Brighton is sparser populated than the north bank of the Thames Estuary, but I’m really surprised that hasn’t been upgraded or well maintained. It must have a fair amount of passengers on it.
                                It's also that some Essex seaside places (Clacton, Walton on Naze, Harwich) aren't far off an electrified mainline, so might as well electrify them and run through trains.

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                                  You can go to the North Kent seaside on HS1 and all.

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                                    Hoping that might as well effect happens to the Fife Circle (maybe even to Dundee?) once EGIP/Shotts line works are finally completed. Otherwise near constant work and expertise building since at least the Alloa line/Bathgate/Airdrie connection maybe two decades back will be lost or scattered. Dunno if plans for post 2019 Transport for Scotland have been published, but I wouldn’t be optimistic for the transport budget to favour public transport at all. Car bams must be placated before serious rail infrastructure spending will be committed to (EGIP, Borders rail etc orginate with Slab plans pre 2007).

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                                      SLab might have been "putting down a marker" with some of those plans. Did they have funding?

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                                        No, that’s why they are mostly sadly truncated and only partially realized. SNP were fiscal realists for sure, but “dared to dream” a little more when it came to motorway and dual carriageway funding. Hark, a New Bridge (It is gorgeous but). “The finest British attention, to the wrong detail” attitude continues in the semi detached Statelet when it comes to the trains. But 30000+ people live in Levenmouth 10 miles east of Kirkcaldy, the largest Scottish “conurbation” without a rail connection, and it seems Scottish Govt last minute figure massaging and arm twisting took the six mile line rebuild back onto the Fife Circle out of the Edinburgh Region UK/Scot Gov “City Deal”.

                                        To definitely possibly be assessed for looking into funding by other means. Aye right.
                                        Last edited by Lang Spoon; 20-01-2018, 01:16.

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                                          As I see it from afar, the SNP needed 50% for indy, so did stuff like council tax freezing which took a fair bit of stuff out of range.

                                          Wales has been very much focussed on roads too.

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                                            All true, except an Independence Ref was never really a goer until the surprise majority in 2011. whether from triangulation for votes or from personal Ministerial prejudice, there isn’t much ambition regarding the SNP and rail. Not that I think the seeming current SLab policy of Nationalise Scotrail! now! Is workable unless you explain what investments will he made and how they will be funded.

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                                              I was meaning they felt they had to keep the freeze longer than they would have done. I doubt it added much to their 2016 performance. Labour in Wales swerved it and lost only 1 seat, because of Leanne Wood getting exposure in the general election.

                                              Fair play Sturgeon got rid of it and tax rises are now popular.

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                                                Originally posted by Fussbudget View Post
                                                Chicken and egg, innit. And the walk is hardly that long given that most people only have cabin luggage; put some trains on and signpost the walk properly and people would actually use it.
                                                It's a commonly held misconception that airport stations are built for airline passengers. In reality, the split of usage between airline passengers and airport workers is about 20:80. In the UK, only Gatwick and Manchester have more airline passengers than workers using the associated railway station.

                                                In many cases, the proliferation of good road connections and car parking, tied in with fast, frequent and potentially more luxurious trains, has also made them popular commuter stations for outward journeys.

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                                                  A while back (early November) I mentioned a trip from Lancaster to London that took over six hours due to delays caused by a fatality on the line. Since then I've declined two London meetings, and have driven to meetings in Manchester rather than take the train, because I'd rather sit in traffic, with the potential for trying an alternative route, than sit on a stationary train in the middle of nowhere for several hours.

                                                  On Saturday I returned to the railways, for a trip to London with my son. This time it was our train that hit a person on the line near Leighton Buzzard and another tragic fatality added to the statistics. Total delay of nearly three hours.

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                                                    Not quite on the same subject (although linked to HS2) but potentially of interest to Euston users - the Bree Louise has now closed down and awaiting demolition, much to the annoyance of my 19 year old son who has endured numerous pints of Coke in there over the years and was looking forward to picking from the beer selection for the first time, as we'd not had a London trip since he turned 18.

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