Worlds's Busiest Railway 2015

[RJS1977]

 

To me it also emphasised the lack of forward transport planning (mentioned by one of the local contributors to the programme) as the new metro is standard gauge 25kV (French influenced) compared to the normal lines which are Indian gauge and 1500V DC. So no way they could run over the same tracks anywhere, unlike London's sub-surface and Overground Lines with Network Rail.

(Throw into the mix an elevated Monorail network also being developed at the same time and you have a totally un-integrated network!)

 

 

 

Again,nothing new or confined to India. I can remember some years ago when Manchester Metrolink was just beginning to prove itself that Stockport Council (at that point in time a very tightly balanced hung council with roughly equal representation from three different parties) decided to consider a rapid transit system of its own. I believe the different parties between them proposed practically every format of rapid transit invented - apart from the obvious one of using exactly the same spec as Metrolink in case the two ever met up! In the end, none of the proposals were proceeded with...

[Purley Oaks]

Hi

Just a self-explanatory about my remarks concerning Blue Peter-style presentation - I've really enjoy the programmes

Personally I would have preferred more laid-back commentary (but each to their own, natch.)

Mal

[darrel]

I thought it was an excellent program. It reminded me a bit of the 1980s railwatch program.

It would be good if they made a series like this about British railways

[Eggesford box]

I was vaguely amused by the depiction of Neills 'ball' token and a mechanical signal box as all being terribly quaint and not what you would see in a developed country (says he getting out of the chair to acknowledge a block back and pull the slot lever). Also the silver ball being handed to the driver in a little pouch and him not checking it. Shades of Abermule though it may have only been that section signalled in that way and not adjacent sections.

[Pint of Adnams]

The producers and presenters gave the impression that the super-dense (is that the producers?) crush hour was a Guinness record style wonder, and the headways a marvel of signalling control. Given that the Great Eastern was shifting greater numbers of passengers/hour in the 1920s with a 2 minute headway/turnaround (strictly 2 mins, 2 mins, 4 mins to allow for conflicting movements, repeat) the only real difference was the passengers hanging on the outside of the carriages. Interesting, but far too long. Rather have watched a similar type of program on Britain's railways, and not the recent reality-style superficial programmes we have had to suffer.

[RJS1977]

I was vaguely amused by the depiction of Neills 'ball' token and a mechanical signal box as all being terribly quaint and not what you would see in a developed country (says he getting out of the chair to acknowledge a block back and pull the slot lever). Also the silver ball being handed to the driver in a little pouch and him not checking it. Shades of Abermule though it may have only been that section signalled in that way and not adjacent sections.

 

There is a picture in one of CC Green's books of a notice taped to the cab of an Indian locomotive bearing the words."Always check the token. Remember Abermule."

[Phil Parker]

Interesting, but far too long. Rather have watched a similar type of program on Britain's railways, and not the recent reality-style superficial programmes we have had to suffer.

 

Each programme was an hour long - how short did you want it? More to the point, surely an in-depth programme would actually be longer?

[Pacific231G]

I was vaguely amused by the depiction of Neills 'ball' token and a mechanical signal box as all being terribly quaint and not what you would see in a developed country (says he getting out of the chair to acknowledge a block back and pull the slot lever). Also the silver ball being handed to the driver in a little pouch and him not checking it. Shades of Abermule though it may have only been that section signalled in that way and not adjacent sections.

I had the impression that the single track section was a short branch with a single block section but presumably the Neill's ball system is still used elsewhere in India.

 

I found the series interesting. I've just watched the final programme and I'm keeping programme three on my Tivo to watch again. Personally I found the faux-live outside broadcast style a bit odd but I thought it was a pretty good effort overall and thank goodness the BBC seems to have broken with the clichéd "Reality TV" form.  I wish the recent TV programmes about Britain's railways had gone into this sort of depth.

 

What was good about this series was that it took the position that the railway and its operation is inherently interesting and not just the setting for a series of human stories that could be much the same whether set in an airport, hospital, trucking company, cruise liner, TOC or whatever.

 

I notice that this series was made by BBC Science whose producers are definitely not "super-dense" when it comes to technical and scientific understanding and far more willing to explain technical matters than most programme makers who quickly pass over eveything they don't understand. 

 

I thought the series did a pretty decent job of exploring the complexities of any busy railway operation and wasn't afraid to try to tackle things like signalling and control systems and even the challenges of train braking . I don't think "Monsoon Railway" which also centred on the Mumbai  railways (though the terminus was then still being referred to as VT) went into that sort of explanatory depth though you got to know the railway workers a lot better.

Having said that I did find one of the most insightful items to be the architect taking us through her daily commuting experience.