BillBlue80
Member
I've read all that before.
Call me a pessimist, but I don't see how 20 years of "Tilt plus TASS" on the WCML can be just airbrushed away.
The WCRM design (on which £8 billion was spent) was to retain the existing 110mph PSR line speed, with any faster stock employing tilt and TASS for ATP as well as controlling tilting).
What has changed to permit 125mph PSR without these features? Is tilt then unnecessary?
I could understand it if there were to be interventions on straight-ish sections (but how do you sign it safely?), but not just to deem it OK to run at the higher speed with no extra work.
So I'd expect the higher speed to be phased in gradually and only over limited sections (compared to EPS).
There are also significant stretches of the WCML, notably over the fells, which are not suitable for 125mph running, even with tilt - eg 80mph over Shap and Beattock.
In the past, I've seen some reference to higher speeds being possible using TPWS+.
Maybe that is the magic ingredient?
It would be nice if Network Rail said something about such an upgrade.
It will definitely be a sub-optimal solution I agree. If HS2 doesn’t come about then I think the need to try and improve speeds on the existing infrastructure would become more apparent. I can’t see 140 mph running being an option on much of the West Coast mainline without tilt.