tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post2329766892700113256..comments2024-03-25T19:07:29.729+00:00Comments on Steve's Bus & Train Page: Blog Trip To London Part 1Steve Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-24071409366018520042017-10-23T13:43:56.955+01:002017-10-23T13:43:56.955+01:00Boost for Haverhill to Cambridge rail link revival...Boost for Haverhill to Cambridge rail link revival hopes<br /><br />http://www.haverhillecho.co.uk/news/boost-for-haverhill-to-cambridge-rail-link-revival-hopes-1-8052807Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-85780834184153229902017-10-23T10:44:47.275+01:002017-10-23T10:44:47.275+01:00Cambridge had this silly guided busway which has ...Cambridge had this silly guided busway which has unsightly concrete guides on either sides which is expensive and takes up lots of road space. A trolley bus is flexible so where the old track bed exists it can use that. Using a rail for guidence of course means you can use that for the return path and using hybrids means they can run through the villages without needing overhead line. Trolleybuses are cheap to buy and have a long lifetime. The overhead line etc does add a bit to the cost probably about 10% but it last for decades. Trams are very expensive and you cannot vary the route and if there is an accident the service grinds to a haltAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-19969048475393195042017-10-22T07:53:51.488+01:002017-10-22T07:53:51.488+01:00There are some of these "guided light transit...There are some of these "guided light transit" systems in France, although they look more like "trams with tyres" than "trolley buses with a rail". Wikipedia suggests that they have the advantage of being more able to climb hills than conventional trams, also of course they can travel off-piste if they have auxiliary diesel engines. However it seems that they are more expensive to build than conventional LRT systems, and there is a problem with rutting as the wheels always pass over the same section of road. I realise though that what you are suggesting is more of an "electric guided (or reserved) busway", nipping from time to time into the villages, which would be a bit different, however Cambridge's experience suggests that it is hardly a cheap option, although one would have thought it should be!Andrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-68418885470751804772017-10-21T12:10:23.541+01:002017-10-21T12:10:23.541+01:00Innovative Solution to re opening old railway line...Innovative Solution to re opening old railway lines. <br /><br />Standard trains and electrification is very expensive and difficult to justify the cost with the low passenger numbers. Why not consider guided trolleybuses for some of these lines. For lines up to say about 50 mils they would as fast as trains. The guidance could be laser or say a single rail. The advantage of a rail is that it could also act as a return rail greatly simplify the overhead line structure another advantage if hybrids are used is it could avoid rebuilding most of the bridges etc it would also mean they could in many case actually serve the villages etc rather than stations a mile or so from them. How viable this is I don't know one would need to look at the technical issues and costs, Certainly when running on the old track bed speeds of up to 50mph should be feasible. A line where this could be considered is the old Sudbury to Cambridge line. To start with Haverhill to Cambridge which is about 18 milesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-68785008109068933422017-10-20T17:08:13.709+01:002017-10-20T17:08:13.709+01:00PS Those Red Arrow buses with turnstiles were awfu...PS Those Red Arrow buses with turnstiles were awful, although at least they were flat fare. The DMSs in the suburbs, where you were supposed to feed your money into a slot and then push the turnstile, were much worse. The system took ages, was impossible to use of you had a bag or a buggy - no wonder most people still paid the driver. Things like Oyster have SPEEDED UP London buses no end - I wish other operators would realise just how much time can be lost in fare collection, and how unattractive that makes the bus as an option. Contactless debit cards and tickets on iPhones, allied to a simple fare structure, offer a very good way forward for many in my opinion (you probably still need to have cash payment available as a back-up though London seems to manage without). Another way is to have validators on the bus which can be used while the bus is moving. This speeds up entry as the driver doesn't need to look at anything, however it's open to evasion unless you have lots of travelling inspectors, possibly travelling "under cover". Andrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-3616208362256401262017-10-20T13:57:15.107+01:002017-10-20T13:57:15.107+01:00It's been ages since I've been to London. ...It's been ages since I've been to London. Two comments:<br /><br />- yes I agree with you about Canary Wharf DLR station, I've always liked it. (I don't, by and large, like the monstrous Jubilee Line Extension stations though).<br /><br />- not so sure about the S7 trains - on the long Metropolitan Line runs they have far fewer seats than their predecessors. I haven't travelled on one at speed so I don't know what the ride is like, the old A stock could be decidedly bumpy!<br /><br />As a general comment, the travel disparity between London and "elsewhere" is huge - and that simply shouldn't be the case in a well-run country. Here in Cardiff we now have quite a good ail network but all the trains are ancient Pacers and Sprinters - makes East Anglia seem quite palatial!Andrew Kleissnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-25811344919165210382017-10-20T02:36:32.785+01:002017-10-20T02:36:32.785+01:00Cheers mate! Cheers mate! Steve Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06852377706742868978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2425346921966365551.post-17799704940714523122017-10-20T01:58:51.251+01:002017-10-20T01:58:51.251+01:00steve it looks like a 777steve it looks like a 777Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07710373122413336908noreply@blogger.com