DarloRich
Veteran Member
Hmm, I feel that if this happens they may get uncomfortably full pretty quickly. If a slow uncomfortable coach can maintain a 30 minute frequency, a 3 carriage train definitely can. What is it in this country with failing to build things properly. Seriosly, just electrify and use proper length trains. If done properly this could get very busy.
this rolling stock procurement is only for the Bedford - Oxford section of the line and only for 11 units. It seems sensible for the first phase. How many carriages should be procured per train for this section?
BTW - the X5 is not a slow unconformable coach. it is very good quality.
Bletchley would appear to be the obvious choice for the line's maintenance depot, at least in the first instance, since the one there would appear to have capacity.
On paper Bletchley looks most sensible but LNWR are using it much more to base their 230's and their 319's.
I remember about a year ago I had concerns over the Bromham Road bridge and you said its a simple switch over to a new bridge and happens all the time. Network rail have stated the road is now closed for 11 months.
Obviously we do not share the same definition of "simple" and "easy". I certainly do not think 11 months sounds "simple" or "easy". In fact, many people complained recently in the local paper that some bridges are replaced over a weekend with a single beam. So it baffles me why such simple things take so much time. The underground work was complete before the 11 month closure. Looking at it today they haven't even removed any of the old road yet and its been 2 weeks already. I'd love to get some Bedford commuters to come in here and share some of their experiences, like having being crushed into trains whilst EMT run half empty trains whizzing past them.
I know that you are often baffled by real world building work not meeting the arbitrary timescales you assign but could it be that building a bridge is not the only or most complicated work going on at this location? It is worth of noting the length of the road closure also delivers a benefit of keeping the railway line open while the work goes on. I suspect that is the key driver on the time line. The most obvious demolition or rebuilding work will have to take place during possessions. In them olden days I am sure the bridge would have been dynamited ( as happened near me when the ECML was rebuilt) but that is frowned on these days sadly!
I still maintain: Building a bridge is, in the grand scheme of things, a simple engineering/construction project but I suspect out views on what is a simple project differ if only on experience of size! .
As for Bedford please try to grasp that it is not the centre of the universe and is simply a small, run down and rather insignificant commuter town. There has been an awful lot of guff in the local media about the downgrading of service and other such nonsense. Bedford still has a good train service, especially to London. The problem seems to be that the good Burghers of Bedford object to the style of train they are provided with and that they have to change trains to go north which conveniently overlooks the fact the vast majority of people are going south!