Projects you'd build but will (probably) never happen

[Dr Day]

A VAL or similar light metro for Bristol

Seconded. Possibly facilitated by new main line underground section from say Bathampton, new station under Bath, new station somewhere underground just north of Temple Meads with links up to the current station and somewhere closer to the city and connecting to an upgraded Severn Tunnel with more capacity and upgraded relief line to Newport and Cardiff. Doesn’t have to be particularly high speed due to stops, but frees up existing surface capacity for more local services including something lighter and cheaper which could also go on-street in places. Given a huge chunk of underground railway costs are for stations, only build a couple of them for key heavy rail stations and divert them rather than a whole new underground metro system, as has been frequently mooted.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Carmarthen - Aberystwyth HSL ?

 

[D6130]

Carmarthen - Aberystwyth HSL ?

....with third rail electrification and worked by upgraded 442s!

 

[telstarbox]

Bakerloo extension but beefed up to create a MK - Watford - Euston - Lewisham - Sevenoaks Crossrail 3, keep the Hayes branch in the scope but extend it to Biggin Hill and Oxted.

 

[London Trains]

Replace all of the busiest bus routes in London with tube lines/extensions of existing ones (the bus routes would still exist for local links though). Edit - throw in the X26 as well which would provide a load of orbital links.

It's not even unrealistic given the demand already exists but there is no way it would ever happen.

 

[Mikey C]

An outer orbital rail line, but not the bodged together one using existing lines that has been suggested, but an all new one, so that it connects with all the radial lines and serves all the main locations. Zone 4/5 would seem the right distance out for such a service, so well outside the current London Overground, but also well within the Greater London boundary.

 

[YourMum666]

The ECML with 155mph trains as well, as like an eastern HS2, along with a great western upgrade. 140 to south wales 125 to the West Country

 

[devon_belle]

Here's a few pipe dreams I've harboured.

I would re-site and enlarge Exeter St Davids to the south of the flood channel, instating a shallower Central-St David's southern chord for a more intensive East Devon - South Devon & Cornwall metro service. The current bank can be abandoned. I would redouble the West of England Line to go with this scheme.

I'd build the Dawlish Sea Wall bypass as proposed by the GWR in the late 30s. I'm not sure which scheme I would choose, probably the one that diverged at Exminster.

I would also build a new Severn Rail Bridge rather than another problematic tunnel. Smoothing out Newport would be good in conjunction with this. Strong winds notwithstanding, I'd strive for 125 mph London - Cardiff via the new bridge and Newport modification.

I would unkink Clapham Junction (LBSCR side especially) mostly for noise and speed reasons. Adding the LSWR's extra tracks from Waterloo to beyond Wimbledon (as mentioned above) would go well with this change.

I agree with posters above RE: HS1-HS2 link. I hope Crossrail 2, HS3+, Heathrow-Gatwick etc happen eventually too.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Bakerloo extension but beefed up to create a MK - Watford - Euston - Lewisham - Sevenoaks Crossrail 3, keep the Hayes branch in the scope but extend it to Biggin Hill and Oxted.

Not adventurous enough - add in the Surrey Heights Light Railway ......

 

[172007]

A system at Calais just before the tunnel where a train can be scanned on the move at say 5mph or 10mph so that anyone traveling in the train can be detected with am extremely high accuracy, combination of radar, lasers, cameras and maybe CO2 detectors etc.

I have always suspected what has really prevented any real volume of tunnel freight was the immigration issues and stowaways in loads, under wagons etc.

 

[PTR 444]

A Great Western high speed railway from London to Bristol, splitting into two separate branches for South Wales and Devon/Cornwall.

A Birmingham - Bristol HS Line following the M5

A southward spur from HS2 near Brackley to Southampton roughly along the A34 corridor.

Once these are completed, all Intercity services in Britain will be running on dedicated high speed tracks and the conventional railway network can become a glorified metro.

 

[deltic]

A system at Calais just before the tunnel where a train can be scanned on the move at say 5mph or 10mph so that anyone traveling in the train can be detected with am extremely high accuracy, combination of radar, lasers, cameras and maybe CO2 detectors etc.

I have always suspected what has really prevented any real volume of tunnel freight was the immigration issues and stowaways in loads, under wagons etc.

Something like this is in place on the Turkish - Bulgaria border

 

[stuu]

An outer orbital rail line, but not the bodged together one using existing lines that has been suggested, but an all new one, so that it connects with all the radial lines and serves all the main locations. Zone 4/5 would seem the right distance out for such a service, so well outside the current London Overground, but also well within the Greater London boundary.

Good call. Broadly following the North Circular would work. South London is a bit trickier though

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I’ve never understood how that station got around all the underground lines in the area.

For some reason I have a fixation on this project and have researched it pretty thoroughly. I imagined that had the "Southerly Route" been given the go ahead, it would have to have been slimmed down to some sort of three platform terminus, as a "satellite" to Waterloo, in reality only used by Thameslink and becoming a Stratford International-esque white elephant. I can't see how, if the Southerly Approach was authorised, how Waterloo would stop being the Eurostar terminus into perpetuity, at least until HS2 came along and an excuse for more works could take place.

 

[dub]

Grade separation at Herne Hill, move the trams at Wimbledon into the town centre and reinstate the second Thameslink platform. Double Sutton loop services all day to 4tph each way.

 

[mangyiscute]

If we want to go big, re-open every feasible line that was shut by Beeching (we don't need the ones serving a village of like 100 people, but lines such as Keswick, Abingdon etc are all re-opened)

 

[JD2168]

Fully electrify the Midland Mainline between Sheffield & London.

Run HS2 fully through to Leeds via Sheffield centre.

 

[Sapphire Blue]

You are not being fanciful enough.

Entend your HS2 from Sheffield via a cross Bradford line and out through Skipton to Colne.

 

[PGAT]

I would build something along the lines of the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme proposal.

First, remodel Windmill Bridge, Cottage and Selhurst Junctions to increase linespeeds and remove points of confict. Second, add some bay platforms at East Croydon to make it a mini-terminus for some metro-routes (the Overground could also be diverted here). Third, remodel Norwood Junction and tie up some loose ends there, such as the shared track for Platform 1 and 2, poor accessibility and short platforms.

 

[cle]

Lots of South London stuff:

All the Windmill, East Croydon and Norwood Junction works completed

Herne Hill and Wimbledon investments, per above - but to Blackfriars bays

Build/identify workable turn back for Thameslink services south of Elephant (8 car) - put Rainham paths into there.

Some type of separation between Balham and Streatham, enabling fast services to get to p16 at Clapham (if it survives…)

Rebuild Clapham Junction to enable straight platforms for SWT, 4 Overground platforms for higher frequency, some spare throughs for pathing (SWT/Southern) - to enable all peaks calls, inc a GatEx replacement. Northern line underneath and to Wandsworth. Build a ton of housing there.

 

[PGAT]

Build/identify workable turn back for Thameslink services south of Elephant (8 car) - put Rainham paths into there.

How? Rainham trains don't go via London Bridge

 

[bramling]

Second Severn Tunnel.

It needs to be done at some point...

As this is fantasy thread, I was going to suggest rebuilding the Severn Bridge from Sharpness to Lydney. Absolutely pointless apart from that I’d have loved to travel over the original viaduct.

 

[PGAT]

Rebuild Clapham Junction to enable straight platforms for SWT, 4 Overground platforms for higher frequency, some spare throughs for pathing (SWT/Southern) - to enable all peaks calls, inc a GatEx replacement. Northern line underneath and to Wandsworth. Build a ton of housing there.

For the Overground, terminating is not the limiting factor. Each platform could probably fit 6 or 8tph if they wanted. Having to share lines with freight on both the North and West London lines means the lines are at capacity.

Rebuilding the whole station is impossible because of the immense disruption associated, and the fact that the station is honed in by Clapham Yard in the middle.

Northern Line has been discussed to death but the TLDR of all of it is that it will cause overcrowding

 

[JohnElliott]

Underground express lines from Victoria to East Croydon, London Bridge to East Croydon, East Croydon to Stoats Nest and East Croydon to Selsdon. Four underground platforms at East Croydon and elaborate junctions at either end ala Camden Town.

 

[zwk500]

Lewes-Uckfield via Ringmer (branch off at Glynde, skirt Mt Caburn then join back in north of Isfield). Avoids the flooding issues and serves a rapidly growing village/small town. Provides alternate route into Brighton without major civils and serves Falmer for the football at the same time.

Also, convert third rail to OLE, and rebuild network for common platform height and UIC gauge.

 

[32475]

Rebuilding of all defunct destinations on the Atlantic Coast Express. (I should add that the destinations are still there but the necessary rail links are not).

 

[YourMum666]

A England - Ireland rail link on the WCML

 

[zwk500]

A England - Ireland rail link on the WCML

I'd go Welsh personally. A branch from HS2 to parallel/upgrade to 4-track the North Wales coast Main Line (potentially double-stack), bypass Bangor and a double track bridge over the Menai. Intermodal freight facility next to the M6 near Crewe and a car shuttle on the old Aluminium plant near Holyhead. Irish Mail route tunnel, reciprocal Intermodal/Car shuttle terminal near Dublin with connection into the Irish Network for Dublin-Belfast routing.

 

[class 9]

Menston to Otley.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Menston to Otley.

If we use the old alignment, you think for that going under or over the Otley bypass would be better, it's the only real obstacle in the way (there is a footpath on the old alignment).

Or going the reverse way and making the Otley Bypass go either above or below and reusing the old alignment in full.