Christopher125

For anyone heading out next Sunday, it seems the timings have changed (now reversing at Edgware Road agan instead of Baker St). Kensington (Olympia) dep 18 19 Gloucester Road (pfm. 3) arr 18 25½ Dep 18 26 (train reverses at Gloucester Road) Moorgate (pfm. 4) arr 18 55½ Moorgate Dep 19 15½ Edgware Road (pfm 3) arr 19 30½ Edgware Road Dep 19 35 Moorgate (pfm. 4) arr 19 51½ Moorgate Dep 20 25½ Edgware Road (pfm 3) arr 20 40½ Edgware Road Dep 20 45 Moorgate (pfm. 4) arr 21 01½ Moorgate Dep 21 35½ Edgware Road (pfm 3) arr 21 50½ Edgware Road Dep 21 55 Moorgate (pfm. 4) arr 22 11½ Moorgate Dep 22 35½ Earl’s Court (pfm. 4) arr 23 03½ Dep 23 05½ Chris

http://www.itv.com/news/london/story/2013-01-07/150-years-of-the-tube/#the-clock-goes-back-on-the-tube_143658 Nice piece from ITV, Peter Hendy is clearly enjoying himself. Also worth a look is this showing Sarah Siddons pulling into Baker Street, then departing with a hefty shove from No1. Chris

There's a few videos now up on youtube of last night's ECS run from Ealing Common to Lillie Bridge Chris

Actually these straightened times are ideal for HS2 - investing in infrastructure is being touted as crucial for economic recovery as is dealing with the the north south divide, and it doesn't hurt that airport capacity continues to be an awkward issue for all parties. Not only is a High Speed Line an example of something the government want to be seen doing, but the serious money won't be needed for another 5 years. Even then, the cost per year is broadly what's being spent on Crossrail. Chris

It was also covered on the TV, there's a video here Chris

Expensive, but then again a handful of return runs (plus a HLF grant) is paying for Met No1's overhaul, the restoration of a Metropolitan 4 wheeler and the refitting of Vacuum brakes to Sarah Siddons all by contractors to a tight deadline - then there's also the movement of the Bluebell's Ashbury set to and from London plus all the neccesary trial runs and mountains of paperwork required to run vacuum braked, slam door trains underground. Chris

Apparently there's been people from LU looking at the Bluebell's Chesham set in the last few weeks preparing for this, the 4 wheeler being restored at Boston Lodge appears to be on the home straight and Sarah Siddons has been moved down to Eastleigh works in the last few days for reinstatement of vacuum braking equipment. Chris

Pretty sure we've seen the last of the 350 family now, future orders will have to be Desiro City's which meet the latest regs. Not much of an issue though as the TPE 350's will be subleased from LM and will probably be cascaded back to them by 6-car EMU's as predicted by the relevant RUS - perhaps as part of a larger Transpennine order? Chris

"HS2AA carried out a survey of trains on the WCML which showed that on average the trains leaving Euston at peak hours before 7pm were only 56% full.Those leaving after 7pm, when the cheaper fares start were full." Which of course isnt quite the same thing, though im sure Jerry wasnt trying to mislead anyone... Not exactly the most convincing survey i've ever heard, and the suggestion is laughable. Chris

If the WCML capacity crisis goes away so will the argument for spending an extra couple of billion on the rail network per year, if it doesnt then short term measures to try and mitigate it before HS2 is back on the table again will still need to be paid for. Remember, HS2 wont be paid for out of departmental funds - is it really likely the Treasury would give the DfT £1-2bn per year for over a decade to spend on alternative rail projects? Without the 'transformative effects' of a project like HS2 on the nations economy and the north-south divide it would be a hard sell. Finally, i dont see how you can spend the same sum elsewhere to benefit more people - HS2 will free up the WCML, MML and ECML for more and better regional and commuter services, speed up services to a huge range of destinations while cause far less disruption than squeezing more out of the current network could ever achieve. Chris

I'll say it again - if significantly shorter journey times, capacity for more local, commuter and regional services on existing mainlines and not having to stand south of Crewe arent 'concrete' benefits im not sure what are! I dont really see the relevance of private investors, they arent interested in building this kind of long-term, politically controversial and very expensive project and i cant see why they would - HS2 is as much, if not more about indirect benefits to existing lines and services and its effect on local and regional economies. Chris

Shorter journey times, less overcrowding and more services arent tangible? If thats the case, what on earth is? Providing more capacity while reducing journey times are the most compelling reasons for investing in any transport infrastructure. The GCR is not suitable for any kind of HSL - while it was built to a generous loading gauge like the GWR it certainly wasnt to any 'continental' standard which at the time simply didnt exist; even if it was, any new route would have to straighten out, divert round or tunnel over so many areas that it would be cheaper, easier and less controversial to build an entirely new route from scratch.... and if you did that, there's a far better business case for mirroring the WCML, not the MML. Which gives you HS2. Chris

Nonsense. HS2 will cost a similar amount per year to what we are currently spending on Crossrail during a recession - is that tieing up all rail investment during its construction? Rebuilding the GCR would be a completely pointless exercise - if that transport corridor needs more capacity, it will always be cheaper to upgrade the MML. It serves the same principal destinations but its formation has been built on and around, and often removed, in far too many places to be economic - being 'cheaper' than HS2 is a pointless argument if doesnt pay for itself, let alone produce the wider benefits for north-south travel times that HS2 would. Chris

That simply isnt true. To quadruple the Chiltern Mainline and upgrade the MML to provide even a fraction of the capacity that HS2 provides (but none of the journey time benefits) would still cost many, many billions but with none of the extra benefits a HSL provides. There are two reports anyone who thinks there is an 'alternative' should read - http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/hs2-strategic-alternatives-study-update/hs2-strategic-alternatives-study-update.pdf Atkin's strategic alternatives study http://assets.dft.go...lternatives.pdf Network Rail's recently published study into the strategic alternatives Both make quite clear there is no alternative to HS2 that can deliver anything like the same benefits. Another pair of lines are needed, and by far the best economic case for providing that is to build them on a new alignment as a high speed line. Chris

Those days have been over for a while now, apparently ROSCO's arent interested in them probably because of the pro-electrification stance of the DfT and the upward trend of fuel prices. After all, build any more and a rolling programme of electrification could see them being handed back in favour of cheaper cascaded sprinters or made redundant entirely. Chris

Are you sure? I think they mean the station situated next to Birmingham International. Chris

Electrification technology has moved on - for example, solid conductor rails instead of suspended wires through tunnels and bridges have become a common way to address clearance issues. Chris