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Recent content by Mark J

  1. M

    Why does Okehampton - Bere Alston get all the attention, when the case is stronger for reopening to Bideford?

    The cycle lobby are a strange bunch. Anti car and schemes that are designed for car use. At the same time, anti reopening railways on former routes. They also fail to understand the greater public good. Nor not everyone has the luxury of the time, nor health to go cycling here, there and...
  2. M

    Surely the case is now much stronger for Bere Alston - Tavistock - Okehampton!

    Wasting your time on here with such an argument. For a rail forum, some very funny attitudes exist towards line/service reopenings by some. Some of which are more akin to a pro-road forum. Many of whom, I suspect who live in areas with regular trains every half hour, or less. However, begrudge...
  3. M

    Introducing RailUK Tickets - support the forum when booking your rail tickets!

    Another question. Today I logged into the Rail Forum Split Tickets Site. Although I knew that the RF site was an affiliate of Trainsplit, I didn't know the two were directly linked. I noticed that all my booked journeys through the Trainsplit App also show on the RF Split Tickets Site. Does...
  4. M

    DfT Plan to Demolish Disused Bridges and Tunnels

    100% agree with this post.
  5. M

    Reading - Paddington route set for overhaul - BBC report

    Not quite. Looking at the timetable many are 26-27 minutes. That also does not include time spent waiting outside Paddington for a free platform, which does happen more regularly than some will care to admit. 1709040010 My 'argument' was that if a Class43 could do RDG to PADD in 23 minutes in...
  6. M

    Feltham and Wokingham Resignalling

    Sorry. Martin's Heron does not need an hourly service, particularly at weekends and during off-peak hours. I live around one of the stations I previously mentioned. I would not be adverse to a once an hour train at weekends, if meant a more reliable service and quicker journey into Waterloo.
  7. M

    Reading - Paddington route set for overhaul - BBC report

    Yes, the class 800 'Express services' going at 90mph on the slow lines. Then getting slowed down further by local stopping services in front. 1709035967 In 1990, Reading to Paddington (and vice versa) could be done in around 22 minutes. Forward to 2024, most journeys take around half an hour...
  8. M

    Feltham and Wokingham Resignalling

    SWR should be held to account for running Class 455 between Waterloo and Reading. Just because 'Crossrail can get away with running toilet-less trains', does not mean SWR should be doing so on long routes, of over an hour in duration. I didn't realise this was now the case. I've also not...
  9. M

    DfT Plan to Demolish Disused Bridges and Tunnels

    It is not just reopening lines for rail traffic. If Highways England continue bunging up bridges with concrete, this also impacts on the likes of Sustrans too. They may wish to reopen a line as a walking/cycle route, which is then made even more expensive by having to remove concrete bungs from...
  10. M

    DfT Plan to Demolish Disused Bridges and Tunnels

    If there is zero chance of a line ever reopening, then it can make sense to demolish, or infill. Where there is a chance (however small at the present time), it shouldn't be happening. As for your last point. 'Them's the breaks' when wholesale closure was carried out, without grasping that...
  11. M

    DfT Plan to Demolish Disused Bridges and Tunnels

    Where there is a reasonable chance that rail infrastructure could be reopened, or re-purposed for other uses, such as a greenway, then the infrastructure should be left intact. This also includes Hertiage Railways. Costs of reopening a railway line are massively increased when Highways England...
  12. M

    Feltham and Wokingham Resignalling

    It really is becoming a joke. The people of Wokingham and Bracknell have had a rough deal over the last few years, with most weekends having no rail service. As a gesture, fares should be frozen for this year, due to the ongoing inconvenience. As you say it is affecting passenger numbers. I...
  13. M

    Feltham and Wokingham Resignalling

    It will be nice to finally get rail services back at the weekend. We've had a good couple of years of rail replacement buses most weekends - even this weekend just gone. Whilst I understand work needs to be done, it has been a major inconvenience.
  14. M

    Why are things so expensive?

    From what I recall, Chiltern opted for third party contractors, rather than Network Rail, when Stations were built for the 'Evergreen Projects'. They were unimpressed by the costs quoted by Network Rail and found cheaper elsewhere.
  15. M

    Introducing RailUK Tickets - support the forum when booking your rail tickets!

    Don't get me wrong. I have no objections to paying a share of the split when it is reasonable. Indeed, I've paid for a few journeys recently, whereby I've been happy to pay split fare commission. Think the highest was £3 odd on one. I've not yet travelled far enough, nor planned a journey...

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