Where next to double track?

[Aictos]

For starters I would have though Hever to Uckfield and have it as twin track throughout with it being electrified if possible at same time or have work done to allow for it at a future date.

 

[trainmania100]

Few years ago when I travelled on it, the 171 2 car from Brighton to Ashford was very packed. Maybe good idea to double track the section between ore and Ashford and increase frequency

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Huddersfield to Stocksmoor, Clayton West junction to Penistone, and Penistone to Barnsley please... (fat chance of course!)

 

[Highlandspring]

Westerton to Bearsden, Hillfoot to Milngavie.

 

[hexagon789]

Tomatin to Culloden
Kilmarnock to Barrassie
Saltcoats to Largs
Dalcross to Inverness
Aberdeen to Keith
Ayr to Girvan
Barrhead to Lugton
Stewarton to Kilmarnock

 

[Brush 4]

The rest of the Cotswold line. The rest of Salisbury to Exeter. Windermere.

 

[Ianno87]

Few years ago when I travelled on it, the 171 2 car from Brighton to Ashford was very packed. Maybe good idea to double track the section between ore and Ashford and increase frequency

....surely running more than 2 carriages might be a better idea to start with?

 

[adrock1976]

Pantyffynon - Llandovery
Doleau - Llandrindod Wells

Both of those would allow a 2 hourly frequency between Swansea/Abertawe and Llandovery, plus a 2 hourly Cardiff Central - Llandeilo or Llandovery to operate, and also a 2 hourly Shrewsbury - Llandrindod Wells to operate. The central section between Llandrindod Wells and Llandovery could then have a frequency of every 4 hours through extending the Swansea - Llandovery and Shrewsbury - Llandrindod Wells to meet up (I worked out a possible clock face pattern a while ago - "West Glamorgan and Dyfed" was the first part of the title of the thread I created)

Also in Wales, I would get Chester - Wrexham General and the Ebbw Vale doubled properly.

Furthermore, I would also double Machynlleth - Dyfi Junction and Machynlleth - Tallerdig Summit (or Caersws, as it looked it was double at one time) so as to provide robustness for the 60 minute frequency between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury, and also a few extra minutes in the bag for the reopening of Bow Street Interchange between Borth and Aberystwyth).

 

[backontrack]

Tomatin-Culloden and Bunchrew-Clunes.

 

[Alfie1014]

Soham to Ely.

 

[VT 390]

Great Malvern to Ledbury and Ledbury to Hereford as when I travelled on this route recently (on the 08:54 to Hereford) it arrived at Great Malvern about 7 minutes late and then had to wait for almost 20 minutes to wait for the 09:18 from Hereford to arrive at Malvern which then caused me to miss my transport for wales connection at Hereford and delayed the following service to New Street as it arrived at Hereford late, also this route is regularly overcrowded so a more frequent service would be nice.

 

[HaggisBotherer]

Few years ago when I travelled on it, the 171 2 car from Brighton to Ashford was very packed. Maybe good idea to double track the section between ore and Ashford and increase frequency

Ashford to Ham Street was never singled.

 

[43074]

Another vote for Soham to Ely and the Felixstowe branch in it's entirety, the Felixstowe shuttle service is very fragile because of delays imported by freight services from further afield. Ore to Ashford and Hurst Green to Uckfield don't really need it, there are adequate passing opportunities to run either with a more frequent off peak service than they get currently.

 

[jamesbwxm]

Rossett to Wrexham

 

[30907]

Ore to Ashford and Hurst Green to Uckfield don't really need it, there are adequate passing opportunities to run either with a more frequent off peak service than they get currently.

Ore to Rye would struggle to cope with more than 3 per 2 hours each way (assuming one of them was a stopper) - extending the Rye loop to Winchelsea would do the trick. Uckfield could just manage a 20min service.

 

[43074]

Ore to Rye would struggle to cope with more than 3 per 2 hours each way (assuming one of them was a stopper) - extending the Rye loop to Winchelsea would do the trick. Uckfield could just manage a 20min service.

But Uckfield doesn't justify a 20 min service and likewise Ore to Rye doesn't need any more than an hourly service. Why should we spend money doubling lines which actually get a pretty good service as it is when there are routes of more strategic importance which still have single line sections (e.g. the Felixstowe to Nuneaton freight corridor)?

 

[30907]

But Uckfield doesn't justify a 20 min service and likewise Ore to Rye doesn't need any more than an hourly service. Why should we spend money doubling lines which actually get a pretty good service as it is when there are routes of more strategic importance which still have single line sections (e.g. the Felixstowe to Nuneaton freight corridor)?

I agree with your priorities here.

Perhaps I wasn't clear, though - Rye to Ore may only need an hourly service (I expect objections to that!), but it hasn't got what you previously called

adequate passing opportunities to run....with a more frequent off peak service than.... currently.

hence my more modest proposal re Winchelsea.

 

[43074]

....
hence my more modest proposal re Winchelsea.

Ah yes I see, maybe I should have been a tad clearer in my original post...

 

[TheWalrus]

For me personally I would like to see at least Exeter-Honiton and most of the rest of the line done to Salisbury. Also some of the Exmouth branch so a 20 minute frequency could be operated which to me would be ideal, but that’s because I live there!

 

[The Ham]

For me personally I would like to see at least Exeter-Honiton and most of the rest of the line done to Salisbury. Also some of the Exmouth branch so a 20 minute frequency could be operated which to me would be ideal, but that’s because I live there!

WofE line should be done in advance of Crossrail 2, so that the extra 8 (or is it 9) services an hour released for longer distance services can then run extra services on the route (for clarification in not suggesting all maybe one or two).

Exmouth also makes sense with the large developments at Newcourt increasing the demand for travel in the area. By increasing the frequency of the services it would attract more to use the trains benefiting traffic flows for all.

 

[TheWalrus]

WofE line should be done in advance of Crossrail 2, so that the extra 8 (or is it 9) services an hour released for longer distance services can then run extra services on the route (for clarification in not suggesting all maybe one or two).

Exmouth also makes sense with the large developments at Newcourt increasing the demand for travel in the area. By increasing the frequency of the services it would attract more to use the trains benefiting traffic flows for all.

Definitely agree with you there. I think the WoE should be double at least Salisbury-Yeovil and Honiton-Exeter so we can have 2tph Waterloo-Yeovil and speed up the Exeters. The Exeter-Honiton can call at all stations so the Waterloo-Exeters can run fast Honiton to Exeter Central.

 

[hexagon789]

I think I would add Antrim to Ballymena and re-double all of Bleach Green to Antrim. If it was possible also the single track bits between Lanyon Place and Yorkgate, I believe this is quite a congested section because of the single track river crossing.

 

[DanTrain]

Dore Station - this is in the works but goodness knows when it’ll be done! Needed desperately to try and kick some reliability into the Hope Valley!

 

[Peter0124]

Hamilton Central to Haughead Jct

 

[Starmill]

For starters I would have though Hever to Uckfield and have it as twin track throughout with it being electrified if possible at same time or have work done to allow for it at a future date.

How many passengers actually travel south of Hever? Not an insignificant number to be certain, but, in relative terms...

Few years ago when I travelled on it, the 171 2 car from Brighton to Ashford was very packed. Maybe good idea to double track the section between ore and Ashford and increase frequency

How many passengers travel on trains while they're between Ashford and Hastings? Sounds like even fewer than between Hever and Uckfield.

They're relatively worthy causes (more than, say, the West Highland line) but it's difficult to see how they should be considered high priority.

Dore Station - this is in the works but goodness knows when it’ll be done! Needed desperately to try and kick some reliability into the Hope Valley!

A section of track carrying both express and stopping trains between two of Britain's biggest cities sounds like a slightly more viable candidate.

 

[Aictos]

How many passengers actually travel south of Hever? Not an insignificant number to be certain, but, in relative terms...

How many passengers travel on trains while they're between Ashford and Hastings? Sounds like even fewer than between Hever and Uckfield.

They're relatively worthy causes (more than, say, the West Highland line) but it's difficult to see how they should be considered high priority.


A section of track carrying both express and stopping trains between two of Britain's biggest cities sounds like a slightly more viable candidate.

Ever thought that the reason for the "insignificant" number of passengers was the fact that the existing infrastructure actually stifles travel by train for example the Uckfield line, passengers have a half hourly service throughout a weekday however on a Saturday when more travel for leisure use for example would be good, it's only a hourly service.

Not really attractive if you want to go into London for the day is it now?

 

[30907]

Ever thought that the reason for the "insignificant" number of passengers was the fact that the existing infrastructure actually stifles travel by train for example the Uckfield line, passengers have a half hourly service throughout a weekday however on a Saturday when more travel for leisure use for example would be good, it's only a hourly service.

Not really attractive if you want to go into London for the day is it now?

But that's not an infrastructure issue - as you say, the line could easily support a half hourly service if it were profitable.

 

[route101]

Busby to East Kilbride , although i suspect extra passing loop maybe be cost effective solution

 

[Aictos]

But that's not an infrastructure issue - as you say, the line could easily support a half hourly service if it were profitable.

If it wasn't then surely they would only have a hourly service on weekdays as well as on weekends? The fact that they DO operate a half hourly service on weekdays says that the demand is there and just needs developing the weekend market.

 

[snookertam]

Hamilton Central to Haughead Jct

Not sure that's feasible due to the tunnel in the section.