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High Level Output Statement rumours

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Mojo

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From Reuters news agency:

Britain will announce a 30-year plan for
the country's overloaded rail system next week, giving the go-ahead
for a 3.5 billion pounds ($7.2 billion) upgrade to the Thameslink line
across London, industry sources said.
The paper will be launched against a backdrop of overcrowded carriages
and above-inflation fare increases.
But the UK's railways are nevertheless enjoying a boom as more and
more travellers switch from their cars and from planes, due to
congested roads and concerns about the environmental impact of
flying.
"Thameslink is going to be approved," an industry source told Reuters
on Friday. "That means tripling capacity from eight trains an hour to
24 trains an hour on the core route between Brighton and Bedford
through London."
"You'll also get a rebuilt London Bridge station and a rebuilt
Blackfriars station," said the source, adding that the government
would also approve the planned 500 million pounds reconstruction of
Birmingham's New Street station.
Another industry source said the 30-year rail plan would put emphasis
on developing the country's light rail network, including trams, which
are cheaper to run on low volume routes and easier to maintain.
"Thameslink will be one of the upfront priority projects, and they'll
be keen to get the first phase done ahead of the 2012 Olympics," added
that source. "The east-west pinch point at Reading will also be
addressed."
London's controversial Crossrail link still needs parliamentary
approval, so can not be given the green light.
"But I'm sure they'll say some warm words about it," said one of the
sources.
((Reporting by Pete Harrison; Editingy by Mark Potter, Reuters
Messaging: pete.harrison.reuters.comreuters.net; +44 207 542 7975))
($1=.4877 Pound) Keywords: RAIL PLAN/
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
 
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richa2002

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How the hell do they think they'll get 24 trains an hour on the Bedford to Brighton line?! That's 12 trains every hour in each direction which means one train every 5 minutes an hour. That's excluding the Sutton and freight trains. Farce.
 

Mojo

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They seem to think that it will only include the existing Thameslink line, rather than the added services it will include. Therefore I don't know whether they just mean 24tph on the central section. LU operate trains very frequently though, so it's possible. c2c have 20 trains leaving Fenchurch Street between 1700 and 1800.
 

william

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I was just about to say...light rail networks seem to manage it, so does the ECML at Durham!!!!!

I am exaggerating slightly, but just the other day witnessed 5 departures in 30 mins heading south from Durham!
 

Dennis

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Not really much of a thirty year plan, simply reannouncing these projects (some of which have been kicking around for nearly thirty years!!).

Lets hope the plan shows some real vision and that the government has the will to follow it through (unlike the previous 10 year plan).

Of course, the outcome of any individual part of the plan will also be dependent on the contents of the forthcoming SOFA (statement of funds available).
 

me123

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Not bad, but the lines will need some serious upgrading! As has already been said.
 

Humberside

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Today Sunday Times also says Savers may be deregulated, the DfT will say more work needs to be done on any High Speed Line, and nothing will be said on Crossrail until the Spending Review in the Autumn
 

ah-media

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As a regular commuter on FCC/TL I have to say it is one hell of journey but 99 times out of 100 the problem lies on one side of London Bridge or the other - once you get to Blackfriars it's not that bad.

Can someone tell me.. Is it my imagination or do all SouthEastern trains get priority over the FCC/TL trains? We were sat outside London Bridge on the east side for 10 minutes the other day as train after train went past before we got into the station 10 mins late. Yet, nothing else was delayed!

Is there any way that more use could be made of re-routing more trains up through Tulse Hill and Elephant during the day?
 

Z12XE

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I bet these plans and statements will include nothing to help the services which run cross country, such as the Central services which run from Stansted Apt/Naarich or the East Coast services which are rammed full at most times, using inadequate stock with little to no luggage space.

Yes, projects like TL2000 are needed, but ignoring capacity problems on regional services will be a huge mistake
 

compsci

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The wait at London Bridge is caused by a conflicting move between the southeastern and FCC services. Fixing this bottleneck is one of the items in the Thameslink project. From memory it involves a flyover and then a new two track viaduct to keep FCC separate until it goes to Blackfriars. This viaduct has been the cause of much delay as Borough Market is in the way.

It looks like the "shard of glass" skyscraper is actually going on the forecourt and part of the concourse of London Bridge station. About half of the concourse shops have closed and have notices explaining this on them. Therefore it would seem that the refurbishment of the station is at least partly being funded by the developers of this tower.

I certainly won't be objecting to 24tph in the central section. I commute to City Thameslink. Currently it seem that the existing trains arrive in groups of three about five minutes apart, and there is then a 20 minute gap. This means that you still need to consult the timetable, which isn't really in the spirit of a "metro" service.
 

ChrisCooper

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Between Kings Cross and Blackfriers high frequencies can be achieved since trains all have near identical performance and are operating identical stopping patterns. The same is true for light rail systems. If trains leave KX 2-3 mins apart, they should arrive at Blackfriers 2-3 mins apart, give or take say 30 seconds (for issues with dwell times and performance). Once onto the Southern or the MML though frequencies drop due to the mix of trains and stopping patterns.
On the MML for example a train going onto the fast lines need to be sufficiently ahead of the following MML when it joins the fast at Carlton Road or West Hampstead South to be able to get up to speed (which takes the 319s a fair while), run 10mph slower when at speed and cross back the the slow lines. If it crosses early at Radlett it needs to be far enough behind the preceeding stopper which will call at Radlett and get a slower run into Luton, and of cource when on the slow they also have to fit around freight (freight needs a clear run due to the time taken to regain speed after signal checks, yet a 319 needs space behind a freight due to lower top speed). The further they stay on the fast, the more stops are made in comparison to the MML following. Crossing also needs to be made at a point where there won't be a need to stop for or to stop a train on the up fast.
Basically, once you mix train types and stopping patterns the frequency drops quite dramatically. Oviously segregation helps, but when you have 2 tracks each way and 4 types of train (express, semi-fast, all stations and freight), total segregation isn't possible. It's particularly hard since only all stations services are totally predictable and simple. Express trains tend to have different stopping patterns, which can vary from running through an entire section none stop to stopping a couple of times (e.g some MMLs run from London and don't stop until after Bedford, wheras others will call at Luton or the Airport Parkway and Bedford), Semi-fasts usually run express for one section and all stations for another (e.g a FCC semi-fast will run express from Kings Cross to St Albans then all stops to Bedford), and of cource freight varies widely in performance (different length, loaded or unloaded) and top speed (usually 50-60mph). Increasing the speed of crossovers does help though since it makes switching trains between fast and slow much easier (e.g putting a semi-fast on the fast lines to overtake an all stations, then putting it on the slow to allow an express passed).
 
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