tbtc
Veteran Member
Oh so close its 222
Since he mentioned "electrified" and "Skipton", I think he was right first time with 333
Nice though our 222s are in Sheffield, they don't serve Skipton and they don't have pantographs...
Oh so close its 222
You must face reality, they are at the end of their time. We must electrify because it is the only way forward. I don't hold with all this global warming bo****ks, but it makes sense to reduce pollution wherever possible.
As regards the rapidly decreasing energy sources, thats exactly why we must electrify. Diesels use a heck of a lot more of those resources whereas the new nuclear power stations that will come online will take care of all the extra electricity.
Climate change is happening, that much can't be denied, but I believe our effect on it is minimal, if anything, especially considering that the temperature of the earth is constantly fluctuating. There's also the fact that we're still technically in an ice age, until the point at which the polar ice caps melt - so it's not as if it's never happened before.
However, you can't get away from the fact that oil is a finite resource, and the more we do to save it now, the longer it will last.
For power generation, nuclear is the way forward, in both fission and fusion form, though the latter moreso. Renewables, such as wave, tidal, hydroelectric, wind, etc. have their place supplementing nuclear, but we can't rely on them alone.
Something must be wrong! I agree with you!
Climate change is happening, that much can't be denied, but I believe our effect on it is minimal, if anything, especially considering that the temperature of the earth is constantly fluctuating. There's also the fact that we're still technically in an ice age, until the point at which the polar ice caps melt - so it's not as if it's never happened before.
However, you can't get away from the fact that oil is a finite resource, and the more we do to save it now, the longer it will last.
For power generation, nuclear is the way forward, in both fission and fusion form, though the latter moreso. Renewables, such as wave, tidal, hydroelectric, wind, etc. have their place supplementing nuclear, but we can't rely on them alone.
Technically in an inter-glacial, not an ice age
I hate to say it but i think the great western needs to be electrified as a matter of urgency considering the age of some of the rolling stock which is used.
in my opinion the following should be electrfied:
Great Western: London -Oxford/Swansea/Bristol/Exeter St Davids (Perhaps to Plymouth or even Penzance?)
Midland Mainline
Manchester - Blackpool
Manchester - Liverpool
Bassingstoke - Exeter
Newport - Crewe
North Wales coast
Cardiff Valley Lines
Bristol - Birmingham
Reading - Gatwick?
Thames Branches: ie Slough - Windsor
Personally I disagree, we don't want ugly overhead electrification messing up our beautiful countryside, the rolling stock is fine too.
...More importantly the costs and time-scales aren't even worth considering, not when there are better ways to spend money...
HSTs DO NOT NEED REPLACING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you actually traveled on one,
Personally I disagree, we don't want ugly overhead electrification messing up our beautiful countryside, the rolling stock is fine too.
...More importantly the costs and time-scales aren't even worth considering, not when there are better ways to spend money...
To whoever suggested Reading-Gatwick, should it be overhead or third rail? If the latter, should it be transferred to Southern, or perhaps SWT?
Forget Nuclear...
Electricity for the GWML should come from a Severn Barrage, the electrified line should also go across the top of the barrage.
Well seeing as Waterloo to Reading is already electrified on the 3rd rail system, it makes sense for the Reading to Gatwick to be also electrified to the 3rd rail system especially as it's only a little bit of infill stuff and you can run 3rd rail EMUs on the Reading to Gatwick route and displace the 166s/165s to the other Thames Valley routes.
The only parts of the Reading to Gatwick to be electrified is:
Reigate to Shalford Junction
Aldershot South Junction to Wokingham Junction
So I would say to pass it to South West Trains on the basis that they already serve Reading from Waterloo.
IMHO this should get the go ahead before any "large scale" electrification - it gives a much better ratio of "DMUs replaced by EMUs" to "miles of track electrified " (since both ends of the route are third rail, so only a small stretch in the middle needs doing.
Trouble is, there are fewer votes to get from small scale improvements like this than there are from a "big bang" approach
The only parts of the Reading to Gatwick to be electrified is:
Reigate to Shalford Junction
Aldershot South Junction to Wokingham Junction
So I would say to pass it to South West Trains on the basis that they already serve Reading from Waterloo.
SWT, so I can drive somewhere else
I doubt it, there would be nothing to call there as with Corsham now.One thing I wonder, would electrification improve the case for reopening some of the stations between Swindon and Didcot?
I doubt it, there would be nothing to call there as with Corsham now.
If they were doing it properly, they would build four tracks from Didcot to Wooton Basset, along with the station reopenings (including Wooton Basset and Badminton). Add a flyover east of Swindon, and you could have an hourly Gloucester service, stoppers to Swindon and a better route for freight heading to/from Bristol and the South West. Expensive, but better to do it now than some other time.
Why ? the headway down there is 4 minutes as it is and you have got the loops at Swindon, Challow and Steventon anyway. The only station worth opening is Wantage Road and the amount of times that has been through the process isnt worth talking about. The only thing it would benefit is class 6 freight and there is naff all of that down there anyway. Wooton Bassett is a 70mph junction so grade seperating it isnt going to gain you anything much there either. Waste of cash unless a exponential rise in traffic happens.
electric a waste of time the cost to electrify the whole lot get new rolling stock etc diesel is more reliable when we had the bad weather the hsts and units ran no problem.
new maintance depot being built at reading soon no plans for elctrics