Agree on electrification way above eradicating buffer stops and reversing through trains.
I always thought the penalty was 7 minutes (2 minutes in, 3 minutes for the crew to change ends and 2 minutes out). But I'm sure someone will correct me
Because, George Hudson. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_and_Bradford_Railway#Leasing_the_line
When I refered to 3 minutes I was referring to from Stop to Start again leaving the station.
I'm stuggling to agree with the bit about a 500m walk. It's a problem for the many folk trying to get through Glasgow!
So just to be clear, are you saying it's not a problem; or would you agree it is a problem but perhaps not one that's worth solving?
Really? The layout at Inverness seems broadly similar to the current arrangement at Bradford (if, of course, Interchange was to be the only station in the City).
Do we actually know that though? As a resident of Baildon for almost 15 years I've often been struck about that amount of traffic that flows through the area from Aire and Wharfe Valleys, through Shipley Bradford and beyond, going nowhere near Leeds. So where is all that traffic going, and is there suppressed demand for through trains? The sad truth is we'll probably never know, because there is neither the political or capital will to make an effort here. So I know that there will never be a heavy rail link.
It's a minor inconvenience, but it isn't clear who in particular would benefit if it were solved (and if there are enough of these people to make it worthwhile). Bradford might actually lose trains if it were 'solved' as you wouldn't need Leeds trains from both stations as now. It's not a silver-bullet for Bradfords transport issues, and I see it as more of a prestige pet project for Bradfordians who aren't overly impressed that Leeds is the regional transport hub and somehow think this would solve that.
There isn't a constant, ant-like stream of commuters between the two stations is there though? There's just such little evidence of any through demand that it's hard to justify the expense. I wonder if ticket interchanges are tracked?
My guess is that a significant amount (offpeak, when I sometimes drive it) is headed for the M62 east and west, for which the rail equivalent tends to be via Leeds.
For Bradford the WY Mass Transit scheme prioritises the Leeds Road route via Stanningley and the Spen Valley to Dewsbury via an M62 P&R at Chain Bar. I would assume that there was some research base to choosing those two routes (which may have included ease of construction, of course)
A journey involving a 500m walk is likely to result in people using their cars, or a bus or simply not making the journey, so of course there won't be much in the way of ticket data. The examples given elsewhere of places like London or Glasgow are primarily long distance, not commuting journeys, so not useful comparisons. If a link existed, no one would suggest cutting it, but whether the expense of creating it could ever be justified is a different matter
That's because they are all routed via Leeds, adding to the congestion there with people who don't want to be in Leeds.
People keep asserting this as if it's an undisputed fact, buy nobody has yet produced any evidence to support it. Leeds isn't the best place to change trains (something that should probably have been anticipated when the powers that be decided to clutter up the bridge with coffee shops and bakeries) but it's not that bad.
Sure? They've only just finished the statutory consultation, the consultation on route options doesn't start until later this year.
The shops were needed to raise revenue to help pay for the southern entrance. Plus, theres not much else train-side now that the sandwich shops have been removed to widen the gate line.
I'm sure there must have been a better option to raise revenue for the Southern entrance than cluttering up the only way of crossing between the tracks (other than the pathetic and step-only Eastern footbridge)... but then I'm not a consultant, and there's no £££ in doing things sensibly!
Well I can tell you that some through tickets don't even work at the Interchange gateline, an example being Balidon - Warrington Bank Quay. So I'm going to guess that the flow isn't tracked. However there is a bigger issue in that most people probably don't use the trains at all for such journeys. You can't track what you don't see.
Yes, better rail links would help the city's chronic congestion problems, although just to be clear I am by no means expecting a cross city link as I have made very clear in this thread. However "continuous doubling" of major roads in the area will only help move the congestion from one area to another, as most main roads around here cannot be doubled without some serious urban remodelling. Which would then lead to question of why would you spend vast amounts of money to do so, when for obvious environmental reasons you should be improving the public transport network.
This I seriously doubt given the amount of time it can take to get through the Bradford portion of the route. Even via the quickest route a journey from say Burley-in-Wharfedale would take around 50 mins to J26 of the M62 in light traffic, throw in congestion and you can easily add another 30 to that. Frankly it would be a terrible option to make, it would likely be quicker to head for the Leeds Ring Road and head the long way around. At least there more of the route is dual carrigeage, and there are far less lights / bottlenecks to negotiate.
I'm not sure where you are getting that idea from. The latter of those would need considerably more construction than a link between the two Bradford stations.
Except of course the trackbed is largely clear. It would also serve an actual purpose i.e. communities with no rail connection - hardly the case in Bradford. I still fail to see any particularly useful service that a Bradford Crossrail would provide or any new markets it would bring to rail - Spen Valley on the other hand would be a game changer for Cleckheaton, Liversedge etc. (And probably also Bradford-Dewsbury - but is that regional link less important than Halifax-Keighley, as proponents of Bradford Crossrail might suggest, or is it just less sexy?)
Well you may fail to see it, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of people who do travel north <> south across Bradford.
Living in Airedale, I didn't have Wharefedale in mind - yes, Guiseley and beyond to M1 is Leeds Ring Road, but not to Huddersfield or further West according to Googlemaps. Airedale is generally quickest via Bradford, even from Keighley.
Yes there are, certainly, but the question is where from and to - is there a big flow to (say) Halifax and beyond from Shipley etc, or is it much more diffuse?
Careful... I pointed that out last time this discussion came up and was accused of being anti-Bradford. Must be the username I guess.
Makes you think though doesn’t it.
What point are you trying to make?Many journeys are suburb to suburb and not necessarily to a city centre. Chances are these are made by bus, driving, or not at all because of the split in the railway network.
I think the aspiration would be for a tram-train solution, with a street link between the two stations and the north-bound services heading towards a new airport route. This would then allow interchanging at Forster Square or Shipley for services along the Aire & Wharfe valleys. But this even if rubber stamped this year would be 10-15 years away at least.
Well you do follow that team, so, you know.....
To be more exact, many journeys are suburb to suburb, but few are between any two given suburbs. They are therefore less suitable for rail than journeys involving the centre.
