HSTEd
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 14 Jul 2011
- Messages
- 16,748
Yet again the nonsense about serving Devon and Cornwall via Bristol resurfaces from some. Inevitable delays behind Weston stoppers would make this a totally unrealistic idea.
The 'Weston Stoppers' that apparently hold up the numerous XC trains on the route? They seem to manage reasonable journey times as it is.
And the Weston Stoppers will be getting faster due to the electrification.
Neither will 'the long way round' ever match journey times already possible via B&H - 2 hours to Exeter was delivered with semaphore signalling in the early 80s!
So explain why the journey between Paddington and Bristol Parkway and the journey between Bristol Parkway and Taunton will not add up to be approximately equal to the journey time between Taunton and Paddington?
The IEP improvements alone erase the B&H time advantage.
The B&H is not some secondary backwater, it's a busy 100 /110 mph mainline carrying 9 westbound expresses between 1500 and 1945 alone each weekday. FGW doesn't just run them for fun.
Yes, because currently the B&H is the faster route.
It will not necessarily be like this forever.
100mph cannot compete with 125mph/140mph over long distances like the Taunton-Reading run.
Especially considering the route via the B&H isn't actually that much shorter than the route via Bristol.
Electrification of the route will be inevitable, but everyone knows it must join the queue. We can't wire everything at once.
I doubt it is 'inevitable'.
It almost certainly comes after the Cross Country Route to Plymouth which combined with the speed advantages that are probably going to be offered via Bristol will destroy the business case.