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If you were opening up a new Hovercraft Route....

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Mutant Lemming

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I always thought Liverpool-Southport-Blackpool would make a good hovercraft run... maybe with exensions to Liverpool Airport and Ellesmere Port. One of those instances where a sea passage could be quicker than the equiavlent train journies.
 
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Ivo

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An obvious choice, and I believe a formerly-extant one.

I think mine would have to be a cross- Thames Estuary route, which could be interesting considering it's already heavily-used for container vessels and will only become more so upon Shell Haven opening. Irrespective of that, I would run something like Southend Pier Head - Sheerness - Chatham.
 

D841 Roebuck

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Beccles to Berney Arms.

With suitable connections to rail at either end it could cut seconds off the current roundabout journey.
 

WestCoast

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I always thought Liverpool-Southport-Blackpool would make a good hovercraft run... maybe with exensions to Liverpool Airport and Ellesmere Port. One of those instances where a sea passage could be quicker than the equiavlent train journies.

It wouldn't be hard to beat the train heading between Blackpool and Southport, 20-25 minutes on a hovercraft against a minimum of 1h45m (two changes) on the train! Infact, catching the bus tends to be quicker on that route..

However, the hovercraft route only ran for one season in 1973, although a local coach firm was very keen to resume service in 2005 (see article)..

Hovercrafts are extremely costly to run!
 

Nym

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Lets be inventive...

No need for a busway or railway line...

Leigh (King Street) - Astley Green Parkway - Worsley / Alder Forest - Patricroft - Trafford Park (Centenary Way) - Trafford and Quays West (Ashbuton) - Imperial War Museum North - Salford Quays - then alternate services to: Manchester Victoria via New Quay Street and Deansgate Locks for Metrolink.
 

Yew

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I would go London - Birmingham - Manchester/Leeds However I would use Lun Ekranoplan's that can travel at 342 Mph

Its stretching the definition of hovercraft, but it certainly cant fly :)

300px-Lun_Ekranoplan.jpg
 

Nym

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I would go London - Birmingham - Manchester/Leeds However I would use Lun Ekranoplan's that can travel at 342 Mph

Its stretching the definition of hovercraft, but it certainly cant fly :)

300px-Lun_Ekranoplan.jpg

And just how many houses in the Chilterns do you want to demolish running that? heh

Although it would be fun :)
 

Yew

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And just how many houses in the Chilterns do you want to demolish running that? heh

I was planning to knock down a few houses, and use the rubble to create jumps over the rest :)
 

Peter Mugridge

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An obvious choice, and I believe a formerly-extant one.

I think mine would have to be a cross- Thames Estuary route, which could be interesting considering it's already heavily-used for container vessels and will only become more so upon Shell Haven opening. Irrespective of that, I would run something like Southend Pier Head - Sheerness - Chatham.

Ivo, I came very, very close to doing that once ( Southend beach to Queenborough harbour actually - it turned out there was nowhere to go at Sheerness itself which was the first option.

Still got all the costings and the architect's drawings for the hoverport at Southend somewhere if you want to revive it...

At the moment I'm more concentrating on the NGH project development instead of small craft routes.
 

Peter Mugridge

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Might take me a while to dig it up.... I know it's here in my study somewhere!

The plan was to use two or three Griffon 4000s, hoverport at Southend, floating touchdown at Queenborough adjacent to the slipway, service interval half hourly off peak, quarter hourly peak, hourly at quiet times and also offer sightseeing charters.
 

martinsh

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My take on the original suggestion

Liverpool - Southport - Blackpool - Fleetwood - Barrow / Morecambe (half service to each).

Other suggestions

Liverpool / Birkenhead - Rhyl - Llandudno
Eastham Ferry - Liverpool Airport
Weston-super-Mare - Barry Island - Minehead
Hunstanton - Skegness
 

trentside

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Hunstanton - Skegness

That thought had also entered my mind, would certainly make for an interesting seasonal service across the Wash, given the length of time taken to travel by road in that part of the country.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Why not just replace all buses with hovercraft...? Much more fun.

Indeed, given that it's virtually impossible to steer those little land hovercrafts then it would certainly make the journey into town more fun :lol:
 

185

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Liverpool - New Brighton - Hoylake - Rhyl

I reckon it would make money.

But would Merseytravel pay for Passes & Saveaways on it as far as Hoylake?
 

LE Greys

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If I can borrow Yew's Ekranoplan or use one of these, then Brighton to Le Havre several times a day. Nice flat beaches to land on at the English end and a sheltered harbour at the French end (bound to be a nice flat bit somewhere).
 

TrainBoy98

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If I can borrow Yew's Ekranoplan or use one of these, then Brighton to Le Havre several times a day. Nice flat beaches to land on at the English end and a sheltered harbour at the French end (bound to be a nice flat bit somewhere).

Sounds like a good idea, especially as it would mean people from london would only have to go to brighton to go to france.

Expanding on that idea, then you could have a connecting service to portsmouth (southea) and see if you could use their hoverport to run allong the coast to brighton.
 
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