Yes it does occasionally but usually the next train is hot on its heels. No system is perfect but it's better than most.
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When Are You Impressed By The Railway
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Bletchleyite
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When you're standing at a station in the Westcountry and a train from Scotland rolls in on time to the second (or vice versa).
When a good bit of old fashioned professionalism and precision results in a train being dispatched such that the wheels start turning the second the clock ticks over to the appointed minute.
When a 12-car Class 700 or an 11-car Pendolino pulls into a crowded platform and effortlessly absorbs far more people than you'd think would fit on board, and there's still room for more.
When you're on that section of the WCML alongside the M1 in Northamptonshire and you are effortlessly and smoothly speeding along at roughly twice the speed of the cars.
When a good bit of old fashioned professionalism and precision results in a train being dispatched such that the wheels start turning the second the clock ticks over to the appointed minute.
When a 12-car Class 700 or an 11-car Pendolino pulls into a crowded platform and effortlessly absorbs far more people than you'd think would fit on board, and there's still room for more.
When you're on that section of the WCML alongside the M1 in Northamptonshire and you are effortlessly and smoothly speeding along at roughly twice the speed of the cars.
Traveller54
Member
Similarly alongside the M74 in Southern Scotland.
Skimpot flyer
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When I travel on Thameslink towards the through platforms at London Bridge, and fly over a SouthEastern train that’s using the dive-under at Bermondsey. After years of being held at signals for what seemed like ages, waiting to cross other lines via a laddered junction, the smoothness of that section now was worth all the inconvenience during the construction
Y Ddraig Coch
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Leaving home in very north Wales and arriving in London usually well fed and watered and after a smooth journey in less than 3 hours and often taking time to double up en-route also.
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Iskra
Established Member
When things go catastrophically wrong, but you still make it home at no (permanent) extra cost.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I have never not made it to my destination even when things have ended up in an almighty mess, that's true. Sometimes rather late and in a taxi/on a bus but never not got there having started, and never that I can recall having had to abandon mid-journey yet.
That's this weekend jinxed now!
175mph
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When traveling on an EMU such as the InterCity 225, the short amount of time it takes to get from Doncaster to York.
standing by the level crossing in Henwick, Worcester when an HST goes by is awesome. Seeing a train from track level always makes you think how big they are.
underbank
Established Member
I was impressed by Sloterdijk station in Amsterdam. It's a cross shape through station in all directions. Pure simplicity. No bay/terminal platforms at all. Trains literally every couple of minutes. Quick & simply short connection routes from one platform to another, literally up/down stairs or lifts from east to north, west to south, etc. Never seen anything like it. There seemed to be a huge loop around the built up area so that trains leaving Amsterdam central had two routes into Sloterdijk, either use the loop and approach the station from North to South for southbound trains, or cut through to approach from the East for westbound trains. The sheer number of trains and passengers it could shift at peak times was pretty amazing. What facilitated the very intensive service was that trains weren't all moving across points to get to random platforms - trains in each direction were all from the same platform(s), no bi-directions, no crossovers, etc.
700007
Established Member
The two infrastructure projects that truly amaze me without fail every single time I travel on them, especially as I use one of these give or take every day, as mentioned above, Thameslink and HS1.
Literally I couldn't agree more with being in the core at some really beautiful stations (particularly Blackfriars) and seeing 700 after 700 - the next train is already coming into the platform just as the previous train has just left! It unloads thousands of passengers, picks up thousands of passengers seemlessly like it is nothing taking them to all of the new exciting destinations the network added last year. Honestly it is such a great project when it works which is most of the time. I do love travelling on Thameslink now compared to the horrible days a few years ago under FCC when it was really unreliable and sometimes irregular 319s / 377s on only two routes. I am of the opinion (which I know is sometimes unpopular with people on here) that the 700s are brilliant trains and they are well designed. They look stylish, they perform well particularly under the wires. This service goes everywhere, offers reasonable off peak fares south of the river especially and runs 24 hours a day! No National Rail service is as advanced as Thameslink is.
HS1 speaks for itself. The fact that a train can do a journey less than half the time it takes a regular mainline service from London Victoria / London Bridge to do, to various destinations in Kent is absolutely awesome. You can do Stratford to St. Pancras in 6 and a half minutes (best time I have had so far) - regular underground takes closer to 25!
Brilliant feat of British engineering, which will last a long time.
Literally I couldn't agree more with being in the core at some really beautiful stations (particularly Blackfriars) and seeing 700 after 700 - the next train is already coming into the platform just as the previous train has just left! It unloads thousands of passengers, picks up thousands of passengers seemlessly like it is nothing taking them to all of the new exciting destinations the network added last year. Honestly it is such a great project when it works which is most of the time. I do love travelling on Thameslink now compared to the horrible days a few years ago under FCC when it was really unreliable and sometimes irregular 319s / 377s on only two routes. I am of the opinion (which I know is sometimes unpopular with people on here) that the 700s are brilliant trains and they are well designed. They look stylish, they perform well particularly under the wires. This service goes everywhere, offers reasonable off peak fares south of the river especially and runs 24 hours a day! No National Rail service is as advanced as Thameslink is.
HS1 speaks for itself. The fact that a train can do a journey less than half the time it takes a regular mainline service from London Victoria / London Bridge to do, to various destinations in Kent is absolutely awesome. You can do Stratford to St. Pancras in 6 and a half minutes (best time I have had so far) - regular underground takes closer to 25!
Brilliant feat of British engineering, which will last a long time.
This is the route that the Intercity direct takes right? I remembered going through a massive station between Schiphol and Centraal, and was wondering how they managed something like that.
Another example that I could think of is Berlin Hauptbahnhof, where somehow a load of lines just cross each other at different levels, and DB managed to fit a shopping mall on top!
Dr Hoo
Established Member
I suppose that the British equivalent would be West Ham. That always impresses me in its own way, especially if you knew it 40 years ago.
jonty14
Member
The Tyne and Wear metro. All zone day ticket for £5.30 which includes Shields ferry. Bargain
Requeststop
Member
Just over a year ago I completed all passenger lines in the UK. It took just 65 years to do so.
What has always impressed me is the sense of service and the love of our railways at all levels of the employees of whatever form the operation of the national system has been. Public or Private.
They are all priceless in my opinion.
Out here in PNG (It's where I'm working - my choice) where there no railways, I miss being able to travel by rail.
What has always impressed me is the sense of service and the love of our railways at all levels of the employees of whatever form the operation of the national system has been. Public or Private.
They are all priceless in my opinion.
Out here in PNG (It's where I'm working - my choice) where there no railways, I miss being able to travel by rail.
scotrail158713
Established Member
Coming out of Glasgow Central alongside another train whilst another arrives at the station always impresses me when I’m over in the west. It’s not to the scale of London termini but in Scottish terms it’s impressive.
matacaster
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The speed, lack of sharp acceleration and decelaration as performed by bus and coach drivers in traffic, reliability, timekeeping, passenger information and most importantly comfort with room to stretch ones legs!
satisnek
Member
I'm impressed by the Chiltern Railways timetable. A busy service with wildly differing stopping patterns, all accommodated on a two-track line.
Butts
Veteran Member
When you have paid chicken feed for a First Class Advance on VWC or LNER and the complimentary scotch is on "freeflow" for the whole journey...hic..hic..
PeterY
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When things are going well.
tomwills98
Member
When things start moving again after it all goes tits up. Was sat on a platform at Bristol Parkway waiting for my train back to Bridgend, think a fire alarm in Paddington had everything on stop and trains were backed up to Swindon. Just seeing HST after HST come through, puts into perspective how busy the network is.
Have to say delays are handled well, not only is Delay Repay much better than what I've seen in mainland Europe, being offered complimentary drinks and frequently informed. Also considering instances are caused by fatalities on the line, the turnaround time to get things up and running after the event is pretty impressive.
The heatwave really did, shall we say, push the limits of the railway.
The heatwave really did, shall we say, push the limits of the railway.
And all built by hand, with tunnel headings kept on track using string, theodolites and bits of wood. No laser guided TBMs or GPS controlled earth moving equipment.
Grannyjoans
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How much a Class 66 can haul
They seem to punch well above their quoted horsepower
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