Controversial railway opinions (without a firm foundation in logic..)

[urbophile]

Yes the speed the train comes into the station and the acceleration of some of the trains on the underground is pretty insane. I’ve not been on the underground but have watched YouTube videos and I would imagine people must fall over sometimes from the super fast acceleration when leaving stations.

Known as the domino effect!

 

[Trainguy34]

Not that controversial but all ticket machines should understand CRS Codes if you search for them. Would save me alot of time and mean I won't miss a train as often.

 

[Krokodil]

DfT Civil Servants should have their office chairs replaced with seats from IETs. If they can't manage to sit in them until lunch, why should passengers be expected to?

 

[PacerTrain142]

DfT Civil Servants should have their office chairs replaced with seats from IETs. If they can't manage to sit in them until lunch, why should passengers be expected to?

Sorry for my ignorance but what’s an IET?

 

[HarryF]

Sorry for my ignorance but what’s an IET?

Intercity Express Train, so the class 800 and 802 used by GWR, the class 800 and 801 used by LNER, the TransPennine Express class 802 and the Hull Trains class 802.
There will be more as well, those are the ones I can think of with the seat in question.

 

[PGAT]

Sorry for my ignorance but what’s an IET?

Intercity Express Train, used to refer to the Class 800 fleet

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Trains should suddenly stop in stations rather than takes ages gradually slowing down on the approach.

*cough* Woolwich Arsenal looking at you

 

[PacerTrain142]

Intercity Express Train, so the class 800 and 802 used by GWR, the class 800 and 801 used by LNER, the TransPennine Express class 802 and the Hull Trains class 802.
There will be more as well, those are the ones I can think of with the seat in question.

Intercity Express Train, used to refer to the Class 800 fleet

Thanks, I don’t think I’ve been on one. I’m guessing they’re diesel multiple units. They are very new. I travelled from East Lancashire to Tewksbury today using four different companies and four different types of rolling stock.

Northern - Class 156 Sprinter
Avanti West Coast - Class 390 Pendilino
Cross Country - Class 170
Great Western Railway - Class 166

All were okay but nothing amazing or outstanding (was travelling 2nd class though.) Don’t know how those trains compare to the IET comfort wise.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Presumably he isn't suggesting GWML F&F kit. The Landwasser Viaduct seems to be fine even though it's electrified.

Wow! That is some viaduct! I wonder what it was like (a) building it and (b) putting up the overhead cables to electrify it. I'm not sure whether to feel jealous of or sympathetic to the workers who had to do that.

On a side-note, it's rather amusing to look at the Landwasser viaduct on Google maps and switch the 3d view on. Google appears to think that the railway runs down the side of the cliff!

 

[Krokodil]

Intercity Express Train, so the class 800 and 802 used by GWR, the class 800 and 801 used by LNER, the TransPennine Express class 802 and the Hull Trains class 802.
There will be more as well, those are the ones I can think of with the seat in question.

In addition to the ironing boards used instead of seat cushions, the DfT specified that the material be a light-grey flat cloth. It really didn't take long for stains to show.

 

[PacerTrain142]

Another controversial opinion of mine. Class 150/153/156 (and previously pacers) are fine. There’s nothing wrong with them. Rail fares are expensive enough now as it is and replacing the old units with new ones will bump them up even more. They still get you from A to B and they are still reliable and dirt cheap to run (compared to an all singing all dancing modern emu). And call me weird but I actually prefer an old, slow, clapped out, noisy, guzzling 2 coach diesel train to a boring quiet train with uncomfortable ironing board seats (195’s, I’m looking at you…)

And up north a lot of us like doing things cheap, quick, easy and simple. A lot of northerners just do beans on toast for tea rather than making a more elaborate meal, a lot us just wear tracksuits from Sports Direct rather than wearing smart clothing, (ok I’m stereotyping a little but you get the picture) and a lot of us would rather travel in a crappy old 2 coach diesel train from the 1980’s and have a cheap fare than have a modern new emu and a train ticket cost half a weeks pay..

Those up North moaning about old trains well you can drive or get a bus/taxi or move to the south east where they have all the posh trains where you can have the joy of paying £10K a year for a season ticket from Reading to London. People moan about the north having all the old trains and the south getting the fancy new stuff, what they forget is that rail fares are a lot more expensive darn sarf!

 

[yorksrob]

People moan about the north having all the old trains and the south getting the fancy new stuff, what they forget is that rail fares are a lot more expensive darn sarf!

I agree with your view on 153's and 156's, however I'd caution about this fares comparison as some fares up here have always been quite extortionate (most journeys involving TPE for example).

 

[Falcon1200]

Absolutely not. As XC demonstrated, demand for that sort of cross London travel is fairly low and is not justified even by running "round the side".

'Controversial railway opinions (without etc.....'

 

[USRailFan]

Britain should have pruned it's railway network to whatever lines could be converted to Berne gauge (UIC gauge).

 

[Thirteen]

I have to admit, the suggestion that people would be more than happy with old, worn out trains is somewhat insane. The lifespan of rolling stock is 35-40 years old and trying to extend that any further is asking for trouble. I know the likes of the Bakerloo Line are in their early 50s but it's clearly on its last legs.

 

[Mogz]

Complementry food and drink should be got rid of in 1st class to allow a reduction in 1st class fares and a return of a cafe/bistro/resturant car for all, but keep an at seat service for 1st class passengers...much like how they do it in some of mainland Europe.

I shall now log off and prepare myself for the backlash for when I next log on!

I, for one, agree entirely!

My own controversial opinion, that always gets slammed, is that there should be a compartment option on long distance trains in both First Class (eg for business meetings or privacy) and in Standard (for families). Perhaps half a carriage of each, pre-bookable by groups only.

 

[12LDA28C]

Thanks, I don’t think I’ve been on one. I’m guessing they’re diesel multiple units. They are very new.

Not really. Bi-mode units which have been in traffic for 6 years now on GWR, gradually replacing the HSTs over a period of 2 years.

 

[jfowkes]

Thanks, I don’t think I’ve been on one. I’m guessing they’re diesel multiple units. They are very new

A combination of pure EMUs and bi-mode electric/diesels based on the Hitachi A-train platform.

A summary of the various subclasses (brand names in italics):

The Class 800 (Azuma for LNER, IET for GWR) is a bi-mode used by LNER and GWR for ECML services that need to go off-wire.
The Class 801 (also the Azuma) is a pure EMU used by LNER on the electrified bits of the ECML.
The Class 802 is a bi-mode used by GWR (IETs), TPE (Nova 1) and Hull Trains (Paragon) and is basically identical to the class 800.

The Class 805 (No brand name yet, as far as I can tell) is a bi-mode in testing and will be for AWC on the WCML, replacing the Class 221 Super Voyagers.
The Class 807 (No brand name yet, as far as I can tell) is a pure EMU in testing and will be for AWC on the WCML.
The Class 810 (Aurora) is a bi-mode in testing and will be for EWR on the MML, replacing the Class 222 Meridians.

 

[OLJR]

All single class services should be reclassified from STD to 1ST So every seat on, say, Northern, is a first class seat.

 

[Trainguy34]

The Class 805 (No brand name yet, as far as I can tell) is a bi-mode in testing and will be for AWC on the WCML, replacing the Class 221 Super Voyagers.

Class 807s say hello.

 

[stuu]

All single class services should be reclassified from STD to 1ST So every seat on, say, Northern, is a first class seat.

A job in government media relations is ready whenever you are

 

[jfowkes]

Class 807s say hello.

Thanks, added to my list! I spend very little time on the WCML so I tend to overlook what's going on over there!

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Those up North moaning about old trains well you can drive or get a bus/taxi or move to the south east where they have all the posh trains where you can have the joy of paying £10K a year for a season ticket from Reading to London. People moan about the north having all the old trains and the south getting the fancy new stuff, what they forget is that rail fares are a lot more expensive darn sarf!

It's all relative though, isn't it? To the average person on a vastly inflated London salary, £10k a year is loose change!

 

[The Ham]

It's all relative though, isn't it? To the average person on a vastly inflated London salary, £10k a year is loose change!

It would be if house prices weren't so high. Even an hour from London 3 bed (fairly standard size, so the 3rd room is a box room - maybe with a garage) costs £400,000. Change that to 35 minutes (Woking) and you are looking at flats for that much, go much further in and it gets silly.

Within 5 miles of York Station there's a choice of 4 bed houses or 3 bed bungalows for the same money, many with much better accommodation space than you'd get in the south.

£5,000 would be spent on the extra interest required for an extra £125,000. Whilst that's not £10,000, those in the North would also have some travel costs.

 

[xotGD]

Every carriage should contain at least six different sorts of seats. Then we'd all be happy.

There should be a manually controlled thermostat in each carriage. That way, passengers could spend the entire journey arguing with each other over the desired set point.

There should be a book shelf in each carriage, so that passengers who have forgotten to bring something to read can take a book. Or if you finish the book you have been reading, just leave it behind on the shelf. (We have these on stations, so why not on trains?)

To keep the carpets in carriages clean, passengers should be obliged to remove their shoes in the vestibule. A shoe rack should be provided to store them in. Alternatively, overshoes should be provided.

Passengers should be subjected to a "smell test" on the platform. If they fail, they should be denied boarding. This could be problematic for certain cranks.

 

[Purple Train]

1) All stations should have a buffet, staffed 7-9.30 and 16.30-18.30, serving a morning menu of bacon sandwiches (with vegetarian/vegan options before anyone points that out) and an evening menu of chocolate and blueberry muffins (with options to allow for allergies). This could be integrated into the ticket office (where one exists). The only exceptions to this rule are Elton & Orston, which would have an expanded menu (sausage sandwiches for breakfast, strawberry muffins for the evening, and orange juice on the drinks menu) and Doncaster, which can keep the Subway shop on platform 1.

2) All future new-build stations should take architectural inspiration from Ely Cathedral, with waiting shelters modelled on thatched cottages.

3) Rakes of spare Mk3/Mk4 coaches plus a couple of locos should be kept at Laira, Reading, Longsight, Canton, and York, and crew trained on them so relief trains can be run if certain trains are overcrowded. If Blackpool trains are overcrowded, serves them right for going to Blackpool.

4) Trapdoors should be provided beyond the yellow line, to be activated by staff whenever a fast train is approaching, whenever doors are locked closed ready for departure, or whenever there is a passenger on the platform who is being excessively irritating. The provided trapdoors should lead into a passageway lined with speakers playing The Mudlarks' cover of Lollipop on repeat.

5) Long-distance trains should be provided with one hotel-style television per carriage, with each seat provided with controls. The resultant fight over what is shown will make the journey go far quicker.

6) The St Albans Abbey line should be turned into a heritage electric line. 750v DC preserved stock can be used on Epping-Ongar, albeit hauled.

7) All subways in London should play classical music, to deter antisocial behaviour and to create places where young people who actually enjoy it can gather without being invaded by the stereotypical lot.

8) On the first Sunday afternoon of Advent, all station announcements are to be done by local priests, with a sung Gloria at the end of each.



On a more serious note (though this is a fairly light-hearted thread anyway), the only thing I would like to volunteer that isn't too dangerous is that the 720s are great trains and the seating is fine. And yes, I do know people who are older/taller/wider than I am who share my opinion!

 

[newtownmgr]

Open Access operations should be banned. They use up track capacity with short units, are primarily abstractive regardless of what they claim, and invariably offer poor service due to the need to cut costs to be viable. The competitor is the car.

Tendering invariably leads to a poor quality product because typically tenders aren't well enough written to avoid suppliers producing cheap junk.

Yet open access was the original EU directive regarding the future of rail. It was only the major government that decided to go down the full privatisation route. Even Thatcher walked away from it.

As regards some of these open access operators. I think given a couple of notable incidents i woukd hope a full audit was carried out of the training & competency procedures.

 

[PacerTrain142]

I have to admit, the suggestion that people would be more than happy with old, worn out trains is somewhat insane. The lifespan of rolling stock is 35-40 years old and trying to extend that any further is asking for trouble. I know the likes of the Bakerloo Line are in their early 50s but it's clearly on its last legs.

Well, the last class 101 DMU ran in 2003 and that train was built in 1956 (one of the first DMU’s ever built) so was in service for 47 years which for a DMU is amazing!

Some are still in use on preserved lines!

Up until very recently the Isle Of Wight was still using ex-London Underground tube trains from 1938! They were over 80 years old when finally retired!

So it definitely can be done. In theory as long you had enough spare replacement parts you could keep a train in service forever. Had it not been for the new requirement for all public transport to be disability friendly, the pacers would probably still be in service today. I havent heard any plans to replace the sprinters either despite them being 30-35 years old. They will probably be in service for at least another 5 to 10 years.

I, for one, agree entirely!

My own controversial opinion, that always gets slammed, is that there should be a compartment option on long distance trains in both First Class (eg for business meetings or privacy) and in Standard (for families). Perhaps half a carriage of each, pre-bookable by groups only.

I would love this. Love travelling on heritage coaches on preserved lines where you get a little compartment to yourself.

 

[jfowkes]

Up until very recently the Isle Of Wight was still using ex-London Underground tube trains from 1938! They were over 80 years old when finally retired!

Not sure if this is a controversial opinion or not: the Island Line is basically a heritage line in all but name and should be run on that basis.

 

[yorksrob]

I would love this. Love travelling on heritage coaches on preserved lines where you get a little compartment to yourself.

I used to like travelling on Network SouthEast with a little compartment to myself