In general Southampton has been losing market share to Felixstowe over the last few years so it is possible to over read proportion of road /rail at the moment.
I had visions when Oxford was finished of Southampton FLTs using East West to Bletchley to access WCML, creating maybe more capacity over time
IPort is interesting /unique at the moment in actually successfully targeting shortish distance port to rail terminal traffic and especially reducing the the HGV driver headcount requirement but it is a lot of North Sea containers rather than deep sea.
Don't give EWR or NR heartattacks! but it does nicely address Southampton to Daventry/Northampton Gateway routing.
No capacity to cross the job at Oxford, pretty similar at Bletchley. Fill your boots inbetween though...
So more 75mph heavy haul traction is needed. Given the snail’s pace of electrification (where Class 99 would provide the answer under the wires), will someone be brave enough to re-engineer Class 60 bodyshells for this? CAT C175-16 (as per Class 68) and new AC traction package would provide the necessary grunt.
I assume Southampton to Daventry area run via West London now, else round through Birmingham. I guess a real game changer could be the planned gauge enhancements to enable W12 containers through Kent to Wembley.... All those European containers that currently go by road/Chunnel or ship .
Cross the job at Bletchley? Surely they come over the flyover. I guess Oxford needs a flyover then.
Could always throw in East Midlands Gateway, maybe the others planned in the area, and Hinckley.
Still have to fit them on the slows at Bletchley. Will be 10tph there once E-W starts.
Ouch. Need a bigger railway
It was called HS2.
And so it will be. The need for it won't go away.
Except I thought the Class 70s were busy hauling Mendips stone traffic from the Westbury area to various sites upto Acton (and maybe beyond)?
There are no ‘local’ port to terminal trains into iPort. The trial from Immingham was a resounding failure, and all current traffic (other than Stobart to Mossend and Tesco to Tees) is deep sea traffic from Felixstowe, Southampton and London Gateway
Given the absolute terrible “connections” between semi-fasts and slows of the LNR timetable for journeys through the Keynes, following each other with almost intentionally broken journey opportunities, what’s the showstopper to gaps?
That reminds me, what on earth happened to the trains to and from Immingham to iPort?
They struggled to attract custom, which isn’t surprising for a journey which can be done by road in under an hour