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Successes to Cheer Us Up

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AlastairFraser

AlastairFraser

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yorksrob said:
Yes, the platform buildings and canopies were very attractive. Unfortunately I don't believe the replacement through platforms are on the same footprint as the old ones were.
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Yes, they widened 8/9 and 10/11 I think and the other new platforms were built on some old disused railway land where I think some permanent way sidings may have been and a railway worker cafe Portacabin was definitely there for a long time. Still I think they could have been moved into storage for rebuilding at a railway heritage centre.
 
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GRALISTAIR

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47271 said:
Thank you to everyone for contributions to this thread, it's been interesting to read. I was just about to reply to this post in particular but I see that GRALISTAIR has beaten me to it. This does seem to pretty much cover it.

I'm certainly not going to disqualify schemes like Borders but, whilst ultimately successful, it doesn't fit my original criteria of being on budget and on time.

If someone wants to start a new thread then great, but in future how do we turn enormous messes like the GWML scheme into incremental successes? I suppose the Great Western has turned itself into a series of smaller schemes through Network Rail running out of money...
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20/20 hindsight is wonderful but here goes on electrification.
1. As per Transpennine Upgrade thread - do Leeds -York as a smaller scheme.
2. Come back and do the small fill in to Selby.
3. Finish Miles Platting area to Stalybridge.
4. Do all the little bits and pieces around there e,g. to Stockport etc.
5. Then do Leeds-Huddersfield. (admittedly a larger scheme)
6. Didcot - Oxford
7. BPW to BTM via Filton Bank.
8. Northallerton - Middlesborough
9. BTM via Bath back to GWML
10. Thames Valley Branches
11. Bristol - Weston-Super Mare
12. Any remaining infill connections around London GWML-NLL or to ECML whatever needs infilling
13. Bromsgrove - Worcester then Cheltenham and then to Hereford
14. Wigan - Lostock Junction
15. Leeds -Bradford Interchange
16. Birmingham NS - Nuneaton then to Leicester

etc, etc - loads of smaller schemes all in a pipeline that progressively get shovel ready but also that the politicians can put on hold at anytime.
 
AlastairFraser

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GRALISTAIR said:
20/20 hindsight is wonderful but here goes on electrification.
1. As per Transpennine Upgrade thread - do Leeds -York as a smaller scheme.
2. Come back and do the small fill in to Selby.
3. Finish Miles Platting area to Stalybridge.
4. Do all the little bits and pieces around there e,g. to Stockport etc.
5. Then do Leeds-Huddersfield. (admittedly a larger scheme)
6. Didcot - Oxford
7. BPW to BTM via Filton Bank.
8. Northallerton - Middlesborough
9. BTM via Bath back to GWML
10. Thames Valley Branches
11. Bristol - Weston-Super Mare
12. Any remaining infill connections around London GWML-NLL or to ECML whatever needs infilling
13. Bromsgrove - Worcester then Cheltenham and then to Hereford
14. Wigan - Lostock Junction
15. Leeds -Bradford Interchange
16. Birmingham NS - Nuneaton then to Leicester

etc, etc - loads of smaller schemes all in a pipeline that progressively get shovel ready but also that the politicians can put on hold at anytime.
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I wouldn't wire the Henley and Marlow branches just yet. Henley because it could be converted in future to Tram Train running off 750V OHLE to reduce costs. Marlow because the alignment to High Wycombe is intact and it could be reopened and the Marlow-Bourne End itself turned into a battery class 230 shuttle. Then electrify it. But go ahead with electrification of Slough-Windsor,Greenford and perhaps the proposed Brentford branch.
 
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AlastairFraser said:
. Marlow because the alignment to High Wycombe is intact and it could be reopened and the Marlow-Bourne End itself turned into a battery class 230 shuttle. Then electrify it. But go ahead with electrification of Slough-Windsor,Greenford and perhaps the proposed Brentford branch.
Click to expand...
Define "intact"
 
Harbornite

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AlastairFraser said:
It was a shame they weren't able to keep any of the beautiful old station apart from the 3 Guineas. Couldn't they have restored at least part of it?
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Maybe not. The railway is a transportation system, not a museum (unfortunately!)
 
AlastairFraser

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The Planner said:
Define "intact"
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The land has been protected by Wycombe DC allowing for a future reopening, except for a stables across the line at Wooburn Green and some bridges and level crossings would need to be rebuilt or the level crossings replaced with bridges. It would be well-used as there is a lot of people commuting to Maidenhead and the rest of the Thames Valley from the Wycombe area and there has been a lot of residential development in Loudwater since the railway was closed. It would provide a useful link for Loudwater residents into High Wycombe town centre and vice versa.
 
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AlastairFraser said:
The land has been protected by Wycombe DC allowing for a future reopening, except for a stables across the line at Wooburn Green and some bridges and level crossings would need to be rebuilt or the level crossings replaced with bridges. It would be well-used as there is a lot of people commuting to Maidenhead and the rest of the Thames Valley from the Wycombe area and there has been a lot of residential development in Loudwater since the railway was closed. It would provide a useful link for Loudwater residents into High Wycombe town centre and vice versa.
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And there is the problem, the level crossings. I would hardly call the area within Bourne End or Wooburn Green intact either.
 
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lammergeier said:
You can add Cambridge North to that list, hopefully to be joined by Addenbrookes in due course.
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Cambridge North is a good example of putting in a station ahead of planned urban developments (which is a step closer: https://www.cambridgeindependent.co...opment-on-cambridge-water-works-site-9058334/). Of course the services and local connectivity can and will be improved over time but putting the station into place was a forward thinking move.

Addenbrookes is the opposite - the station, if it ever happens, will be trailing the huge amount of development in the area.
 
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Can I nominate my little local station, Thornaby? Redeveloped in 2003, with new waiting room and staffed ticket office it's grown into a well used little local hub thanks to its excellent service (8 trains an hour) and transfer possibilities. Indeed the building was further extended over the last few years to double the size of the ticket office and add toilets too. Much of the success I have to say has been down to the dedicated staff who have been there since the office opened all those years ago!
 
Old Yard Dog

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The huge expansion of Manchester metrolink went pretty well although I have misgivings about whether places like Oldham are really better off with light rail. And they should have kept the old line through the town as an alternative route allowing some express workings.
 
yorksrob

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Not an infrastructure improvement, but the later trains on Northern routes have been successful and made evening connections from Leeds a lot less stressful. A small light in a very long tunnel perhaps.
 
lordbusiness

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camflyer said:
Cambridge North is a good example of putting in a station ahead of planned urban developments (which is a step closer: https://www.cambridgeindependent.co...opment-on-cambridge-water-works-site-9058334/). Of course the services and local connectivity can and will be improved over time but putting the station into place was a forward thinking move.

Addenbrookes is the opposite - the station, if it ever happens, will be trailing the huge amount of development in the area.
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Problem with CBG North is it really should have gone the other side of the A14, it's where it is because the land was free (being railway land originally) and it conveniently links with the guided bus that runs on the old St.Ives branch. Not ideal but it is what it is.
Interestingly there are also plans to relocate Waterbeach Station to allow it to better serve the 1000's of new homes planned for the area between Milton and Waterbeach.
Agreed that the provision of station to the south of the city is needed.
 
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camflyer

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lordbusiness said:
Problem with CBG North is it really should have gone the other side of the A14, it's where it is because the land was free (being railway land originally) and it conveniently links with the guided bus that runs on the old St.Ives branch. Not ideal but it is what it is.
Interestingly there are also plans to relocate Waterbeach Station to allow it to better serve the 1000's of new homes planned for the area between Milton and Waterbeach.
Agreed that the provision of station to the south of the city is needed.
Click to expand...

While a station on the other side of the A14 might be a good idea in principle as a Cambridge Parkway I can't see how it could ever have got planning permission as the land there is very rural and you are next to the Milton Park.

Yes, it looks like the Waterbeach station relocation is going ahead despite a lot of local objections. The final decision is now with the Sec. of State. The next step in the area is that the A10 desperately needs dualing from Ely to Milton given the number of new homes in Waterbeach and Ely and all of the new jobs being created in Cambridge.

https://www.greatercambridge.org.uk...rojects/ely-to-cambridge-a10-transport-study/
 
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Ianno87

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lordbusiness said:
Problem with CBG North is it really should have gone the other side of the A14, it's where it is because the land was free (being railway land originally) and it conveniently links with the guided bus that runs on the old St.Ives branch. Not ideal but it is what it is.
Interestingly there are also plans to relocate Waterbeach Station to allow it to better serve the 1000's of new homes planned for the area between Milton and Waterbeach.
Agreed that the provision of station to the south of the city is needed.
Click to expand...

Also being south of the A14 means that the large amount of railway land not needed for the station/remaining yard operations can be given over to redevelopment, and links to the Science Park/Regional College better.

Oh, and it's closer to my house too...
 
Jozhua

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Someone mentioned the Derby remodeling earlier, I have to agree that was fantastically successful! Probably won't fully realise the improvements till May timetable changes, but there is no more waiting outside the station due to the massive bottleneck the old track layout created.

An extra platform and modern signalling that doesn't break down (Saw my train on approach to Derby get stuck when the points broke underneath it once...) doesn't hurt either!
 
47271

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I just thought that I'd dip back in again as the OP on this thread. I'm still reading it all with interest, thank you.

I've got one prompt as a reminder. With the various Hitachi and stock refurb debacles ringing in our ears, I'm also keen to hear about on time and on budget rolling stock successes. I don't think that anyone has said anything on this!

The last one that directly impacted on my day to day use was the Transpennine 350s in 2013/4, maybe that says it all, or are there more recent examples?

For example, Thameslink 700s are ghastly to travel on for more than 20 mins but I can't remember if the project was on time and on budget when the things were built?
 
squizzler

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The refurbished Wales class 158's are very nice. I recently rode one sat sat a row or two behind a couple of lads, one of whom was apparently on an apprenticeship for the RAF and on returning from a trip down the coach gave his mate a favourable description of the flushing action, from which I deduced the lad must have the eyes of an engineer and this must be a retention toilet equipped unit.
 
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squizzler said:
The refurbished Wales class 158's are very nice. I recently rode one sat sat a row or two behind a couple of lads, one of whom was apparently on an apprenticeship for the RAF and on returning from a trip down the coach gave his mate a favourable description of the flushing action, from which I deduced the lad must have the eyes of an engineer and this must be a retention toilet equipped unit.
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The Wales 158s are very nice (compared to the state they were before) not even a particularly recent refurbishment either. Think most of them were done 7-8 years ago now! I wonder if the GWR ones will look that nice in 8 years.
 
squizzler

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Parallel said:
The Wales 158s are very nice (compared to the state they were before) not even a particularly recent refurbishment either. Think most of them were done 7-8 years ago now! I wonder if the GWR ones will look that nice in 8 years.
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According to Wikipedia they just got PRM mods and retention toilets last year.
 
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The whole Kings Cross, St Pancras experience is so far from what it was. There are a few mistakes, like the way the East Midlands platforms feel like they have been tagged on without any real thought. However, overall, what an upgrade, both below and above ground. I use the body stations very regularly and have used every service in the last couple of months I reckon, from Eurostar down to the Victoria and everything in-between. The only things I would be tempted to do:

- Improve signposting to the East Midlands platforms;
- Hopefully the dirty diesels will go soon on East Midlands.
- Build a rain cover roof type thing to connect Kings Cross and St Pancras above ground, just for those days it is really going for it in the rain department.
 
squizzler

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The real successes are that modal share for rail is just a squeak away from exceeding 10% last time I checked and that I saw a letter in Modern railways citing the National Travel Survey that 65% of British people will have ridden a train in the last year.
 
Jozhua

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squizzler said:
The real successes are that modal share for rail is just a squeak away from exceeding 10% last time I checked and that I saw a letter in Modern railways citing the National Travel Survey that 65% of British people will have ridden a train in the last year.
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Brilliant, trains are a fantastic, efficient way to travel and are vital for the future of our cities and the climate!

Ignoring the pollution issues, cars make cities more spread out and less walkable and with the rising price of lessons, fuel and insurance public transport is the only option for many younger people like me! Glad to hear that rail travel is becoming more popular, because the more passengers the better the ser
 
Jozhua

Jozhua

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*B
Jozhua said:
Brilliant, trains are a fantastic, efficient way to travel and are vital for the future of our cities and the climate!

Ignoring the pollution issues, cars make cities more spread out and less walkable and with the rising price of lessons, fuel and insurance public transport is the only option for many younger people like me! Glad to hear that rail travel is becoming more popular, because the more passengers the better the ser
Click to expand...
*better the service can become.
(sorry accidentally clicked send on my phone before I finished writing)
 
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