Recent content by MML

2 track railway on the MML so some Sundays only the fasts are in use. Not possible to call at Wixams. No Sunday service on the Marston Vale, therefore no service at Kempston Hardwick. We should really be questioning why has it become so expensive to build a fairly basic station in this country...

Imagine being a resident on the Wixams housing estate. You might be able to walk or cycle to the new train station, but your estate roads will be clogged full of parked vehicles from customers driving from the surrounding area and either choosing free Street parking as opposed to paying the...

Plan of station from Bedford Borough Council website. The following link confirms they plan to close the station after 10pm. Although they don't appear to be aware of weekend closures or unplanned events such as a line defect or train breakdown on the slow line which would prevent trains...

The existing plans have a platform on the up slow with the main station building and car park on the east side. A second platform between the up slow and down slow, with a bridge and presumably lifts connecting both. If the second platform was instead correctly positioned between the down slow...

No I'm proposing that Wixams should be built with 4 platforms. There is a good reason why Leagrave, Harlington and Flitwick all operate with 4 platforms. The majority of services only use the platforms on the slow lines, but operational flexibility and resilience requires platforms on the fast...

The Midland mainline has the fasts on the west side and the Slows on the east side. The current flawed design has a single platform with station building on the up slow furthest east and a second island platform between the up and down slow lines. It is this island platform which as it currently...

Wixams needs to be a 4 platform station from the outset. The MML operates as a 2 track railway during periods of regular maintenance, and delivering a station only on the slow lines will mean either frequent costly rail replacement or no service at weekends and overnight. The Universal Studios...

The question which really needs to be asked is why aren't XC generating enough revenue to fund investment in longer and more frequent trains? The trains I have seen across a number of different routes always well loaded, indeed excessively so in some cases which often deters repeat business. But...

It really can't be free. It can be free at the point of use, and paid for by the taxpayer, but then we need to know how much each taxpayer would be spending extra each year to fund it, bearing in mind they already partially subsidise the railways. Some taxpayers will be paying extra for a...

Could they use class 67s and increase the length of the coaching stock ? So quieter loco and more capacity with more seats for Birmingham and Oxford. Or are the platforms not long enough?

A follow on order to increase the length of Class 345 Aventra units from 9-car to 11-car would provide some immediate support for Derby. The additional 140 coaches would help to reduce overcrowding on the Elizabeth line. Similarly increasing the length of Azumas from 9-car to 10-car would...

There have been many comments that 68 plus Mk5 sets are expensive to operate, but is this simply a consequence of operating them in 5-car formations? Would it be possible to find a route where this stock could operate in longer formations? The cost per seat would surely reduce if operated as a 7...

Today 3 out of the 6 diagrams are now operating as 4-car units yet again. The services are full and standing, absolutely rammed solid. 9 serviceable units out of a fleet of 21 is an appalling level of performance. Is it time for EMR to abandon all hope of using these units as intended? Are the...

4-car unit on the 20.15 from London St Pancras to Corby this evening. Completely full and standing with not a free seat until Bedford. Carpets are filthy but the disgrace is they can't keep at least 12 serviceable units from a fleet of 21. Shocking maintenance standards.

Someone needs to design a system which detects the application of graffiti on the toilet walls and triggers a locking mechanism on the toilet door to trap the little scrote inside. Preferably for days or weeks.