Controversial railway opinions (without a firm foundation in logic..)

[156421]

Trains should suddenly stop in stations rather than takes ages gradually slowing down on the approach.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Trains should suddenly stop in stations rather than takes ages gradually slowing down on the approach.

Ever been on a 195? They seem to be driven in a much more Continental fashion of running in fast then braking positively to a stand.

 

[156421]

Ever been on a 195? They seem to be driven in a much more Continental fashion of running in fast then braking positively to a stand.

Yes they are used for BIF-MIA services in this locality. Much better than the 156s they seem to be replacing (156s still used for some BIF-LAN and all (with one trivial weekly exception) BIF-CAR/MLM services). My only criticism is the trashcans are minuscule. Also when 2 off 195s are joined together it's great for capacity but not for revenue enforcement.

There is little more frustrating on a tight connection time than the incoming train (which I need to get out of ASAP) crawling in without a care in the world.

 

[renegademaster]

I would go the other way, all trains have toilets. Hertford - London can be a long journey without a toilet for some people, and the frequency isn't there to step off the train then back onto the next one with minimal delay.

One of the upsides of Southern getting rid of their 455s is now every train has a toilet

 

[Bishopstone]

Most of the people who say the Government should stop interfering with railway operations would - if the Government sat on the sidelines - demand to know what the Government was doing about the lack of gluten-free options in LNER first class (etc), and accuse them of not having a grip on the situation, and complete lack of interest.

They would continue to write to their MPs, rather than the CEO of LNER/GBR etc.

 

[xotGD]

I'm thinking routes like say Lincoln-Leicester, short busy routes.

Caught short busy routes, more like.

 

[HSTEd]

Ever been on a 195? They seem to be driven in a much more Continental fashion of running in fast then braking positively to a stand.

Ultimately it is the risk assesment led safety culture in the UK that led to "defensive driving".

Perhaps it will change with ETCS, but somehow i doubt it.

 

[ThameslinkUser]

The peak time Littlehampton Thameslink services should be reinstated.

Go one step further. Service pattern should be 1tph LIT - VIC and 1tph LIT - BDM throughout the day, with an earlier start.

 

[renegademaster]

Ultimately it is the risk assesment led safety culture in the UK that led to "defensive driving".

Perhaps it will change with ETCS, but somehow i doubt it.

The underground still seems to work that way

 

[PGAT]

Go one step further. Service pattern should be 1tph LIT - VIC and 1tph LIT - BDM throughout the day, with an earlier start.

A big issue with that is in the Up direction the ex-Bedford paths are 5 minutes before the Victoria trains meaning it is practically 1tph

 

[HSTEd]

The underground still seems to work that way

The London Underground has automatic train protection (in the form of tripcocks) and has had it since long before risk assesments existed as a formal practice.

 

[Clansman]

• The UK should follow the lead of continental Europe when it comes to door operation, where guards release the doors immediatley after stopping, rather than having to faff about for 30 seconds on a curved platform just to check that all coaches are over a platform that's 3 times longer than the train itself! Obviously not reasonable on notoriously short platforms, but termini and large stations... come on!

• All trains should be built to maximum width and height as the GB loading gauage is a disgrace and needs to be sweated as much as possible, and manufacturers should be forced to do this even if there's a trade-off in having to shorten or untaper carriages. All efforts should be made during works to renew, electrify, or even building new lines to increase the loading gauge as much as possible, but in the meantime the industry needs to adapt (a 170 is appalling compared to what was possible with Mk2s, and the BREL MUs proves that housing the traction equipment is not the whole story).

 

[LYuen]

The biggest 'winner' under privatisation over the past 3 decades, although not the intention, are railway workers.
By winner I mean they are the least exploited in comparison with other public services workers, e.g. NHS.

 

[12LDA28C]

The biggest 'winner' under privatisation over the past 3 decades, although not the intention, are railway workers.
By winner I mean they are the least exploited in comparison with other public services workers, e.g. NHS.

Of course railway workers have not really been public services (public sector) workers for the vast majority of the last 3 decades unlike NHS staff.

 

[JD2168]

All Train lines should be electric with overhead wires or third rail as an immediate priority.

 

[urbophile]

All Train lines should be electric with overhead wires or third rail as an immediate priority.

That is neither illogical nor, I hope, controversial. (though maybe an exception for very lightly used rural lines)

 

[eldomtom2]

That is neither illogical nor, I hope, controversial. (though maybe an exception for very lightly used rural lines)

It's a very controversial statement in places like America, and even here the government has frequently tried to avoid electrification. Not to mention all the times people argue electrification is a distraction and the focus should be on increasing ridership...

 

[12LDA28C]

All Train lines should be electric with overhead wires or third rail as an immediate priority.

Excellent. I look forward to seeing the West Highland extension with OHLE. The masts should do the aesthetics of Glenfinnan viaduct a world of good.

 

[Krokodil]

Excellent. I look forward to seeing the West Highland extension with OHLE. The masts should do the aesthetics of Glenfinnan viaduct a world of good.

Presumably he isn't suggesting GWML F&F kit. The Landwasser Viaduct seems to be fine even though it's electrified.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Excellent. I look forward to seeing the West Highland extension with OHLE. The masts should do the aesthetics of Glenfinnan viaduct a world of good.

In Switzerland it would be.

 

[Magdalia]

Thameslink not introducing the Cambridge to Maidstone East service is a mistake and should be added in some way even if not to Cambridge but to Lechworth.

Agreed. Kent’s so called capital has embarrassing frequency and connectivity

Thameslink not introducing the Cambridge-Maidstone East service was one of the few things it got right. Having late running trains from Maidstone East calling in the two track section at Welwyn would have wrecked punctuality all the way to Scotland.

Maidstone may have poor frequency and connectivity but trains to Cambridge were never a sensible answer for that.

 

[Falcon1200]

Thameslink is an opportunity missed; Instead of suburban EMUs there should be through services such as Edinburgh/Brighton and Leeds/Hastings. Not so much Levelling Up as Connecting Up!

The Elizabeth Line too; Cardiff/Norwich and Bristol/Southend through services (for example) should operate.

 

[nlogax]

Thameslink not introducing the Cambridge-Maidstone East service was one of the few things it got right. Having late running trains from Maidstone East calling in the two track section at Welwyn would have wrecked punctuality all the way to Scotland.

On that note, use the money 'saved' from truncating HS2 to finally address the Welwyn bottleneck with new bridges and tunnels twenty something years after it was initially teased.

In reality that's more lacking a firm foundation in finances.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thameslink is an opportunity missed; Instead of suburban EMUs there should be through services such as Edinburgh/Brighton and Leeds/Hastings. Not so much Levelling Up as Connecting Up!

The Elizabeth Line too; Cardiff/Norwich and Bristol/Southend through services (for example) should operate.

Absolutely not. As XC demonstrated, demand for that sort of cross London travel is fairly low and is not justified even by running "round the side".

It's all about getting TO London. The through nature of these two services is just because for local journeys a selection of different London stations is valuable as it saves time connecting to the Tube - for a long journey this is less important.

Were Birmingham the capital, things might be different, though, as demand would be roughly even both sides.

 

[jfowkes]

On the subject of London through running, Crossrail 2 should be planned, built and opened ASAP.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Toilets should be removed from congested services to provide more passenger space, also cutting cleaning and maintanance costs.

And the services could be distinguished by marketing. "Standard" and "Bog Standard" perhaps.

 

[The Ham]

On the subject of London through running, Crossrail 2 should be planned, built and opened ASAP.

Indeed, the thing which is often overlooked with this is that it would free up a decent amount of capacity across the SWML too so isn't really only a London project.

In theory it could allow more services to Salisbury (or even Exeter with redoubling of the WofE line).

 

[PacerTrain142]

Third-rail-ifying the Severn Beach line would be sensible and safe considering its lack of level crossings. It would also completely avoid conflict with future GWML OHLE, cut noise pollution in Easton and air pollution everywhere, and allow the replacement of the utterly clapped-out Turbos (which could then reinforce the poor beleaguered Portsmouth-Cardiffs) with nice cascaded ex-Southern stock cut down a bit.

Well the turbos are still a lot newer than the sprinters and pacers that used to operate down there.

Trains should suddenly stop in stations rather than takes ages gradually slowing down on the approach.

Hmm not sure I agree. Trains often have to stop in precise locations on the platform depending on number of carriages (there are usually signs up saying 2 car, 4 car etc) and trains are not cars - the risk of overrunning the platform increases (something I’ve done many times when playing train simulator). I don’t normally enter platforms faster than 30 mph. Also the standard driving procedure on most trains is usually use step 1 or step 2 braking normally, step 1 when coming to a stand for a smooth stop, full service only if they really need it. I prefer a smoother stop even if it’s slightly slower (except maybe for metro services where high stop frequency means more efficent driving is needed to keep to time).

Yes they are used for BIF-MIA services in this locality. Much better than the 156s they seem to be replacing (156s still used for some BIF-LAN and all (with one trivial weekly exception) BIF-CAR/MLM services). My only criticism is the trashcans are minuscule. Also when 2 off 195s are joined together it's great for capacity but not for revenue enforcement.

There is little more frustrating on a tight connection time than the incoming train (which I need to get out of ASAP) crawling in without a care in the world.

I prefer a 156 to a 195. Much prefer a noisy old diesel.

The underground still seems to work that way

Yes the speed the train comes into the station and the acceleration of some of the trains on the underground is pretty insane. I’ve not been on the underground but have watched YouTube videos and I would imagine people must fall over sometimes from the super fast acceleration when leaving stations.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Heritage rail companies should only feature steam locos and not waste their resources on preserving any form of diesel traction.

 

[PacerTrain142]

Heritage rail companies should only feature steam locos and not waste their resources on preserving any form of diesel traction.

No way! I love the pacers and rode one on a heritage railway recently. And those 1st gen DMU’s are great becuase passengers sat at the front can see out the front of the train. DMU’s, while not as popular as steam locomotives are also much cheaper to run.

Also, they should put the pacers back on the railways and have them as 3rd class travel (cheaper fare if you get the pacer).