Trains...why?

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RickH
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by RickH »

mjr wrote:It would be great to have more pictures of bike spaces and permission to upload them to wiki media Commons.

Here you are. They even have horizontal "seatbelts" to secure bikes. :)

Bike space on new trains
Bike space on new trains

I've got a few others too which I can upload somewhere once I'm off the train & have ridden home.

What's the best thing to do with them?
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
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mjr
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by mjr »

Sit back and wait while I upload them like so: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... espace.jpg

Let me know if you want me to change anything on that page - or create an account and DIY.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Plaid wants trains from north to south Wales without going through England, the plan is to reopen a line via Aberystwyth
Brecon and Moat Lane could be reopened too in case of diversions
The trains could not go fast, it would still take a long time to get from the top to the bottom :?
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Cugel
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by Cugel »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Plaid wants trains from north to south Wales without going through England, the plan is to reopen a line via Aberystwyth
Brecon and Moat Lane could be reopened too in case of diversions
The trains could not go fast, it would still take a long time to get from the top to the bottom :?


Although I'll be voting Plaid in a day or few, I am slightly worried about the new Adam Price anti-English spiels. I'm hoping its just a spin-trick to attract the votes of the more xenophobic Welsh, alongside those of the Welsh 99% who are sensible and are voting for Plaid actual policies (along with most of the English immigrants I know).

Despite the attempts of the Tory loons to fragment it, we are still a single British country. There is no border between Wales and England other than an historically defunct one. It doesn't matter that a Welsh-place-to-Welsh-place rail journey goes through England because it's England. It only matters if the route is inefficient in serving the wants and needs of those undertaking the journey. The current route actually goes through various larger centres of population and is quite useful to those not going all the way from Cardiff to Holyhead.

The proposed re-opening of a Carmarthen - Aberystwyth line would go within a mile of our hoose. It would pass through or near various very small West Welsh villages. I would be really surprised if it attracted more than half a dozen passengers a journey. The hourly bus service (T1) already goes more or less the same route and is quite rapid. It also stops in a lot, lot more places (outside your door, if you flag it down) than would a train.

Adam Price criticises the "English" high speed north-south plan, rightly so, as a vanity project. His plan to re-build the ancient railway, defunct long before Beeching, between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth is a vanity project too - and just as wishful-thunky about the benefits.

****
The hemoragh of young people from Wales is to do with lack of jobs. Connecting Holyhead to Cardiff via a more direct yet very low population rail route will do nothing whatsoever to change that. And why would students of the respective universities need to constantly travel between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth? If they do, what's wrong with that fine T1 bus?

Any passenger or goods that want to go to Ireland from Carmarthen could currently go via rail to FIshguard for the ferry; or via rail to Pembroke Dock for the other ferry. Why would they want to go to Holyhead?

Cugel
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Oldjohnw
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by Oldjohnw »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Plaid wants trains from north to south Wales without going through England, the plan is to reopen a line via Aberystwyth
Brecon and Moat Lane could be reopened too in case of diversions
The trains could not go fast, it would still take a long time to get from the top to the bottom :?


Brilliant idea.

Of course, it will be too expensive. If you ignore the idiocy of HS2
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100%JR
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by 100%JR »

I caught the train again Thrusday :shock:
Well actually I caught Three Trains :shock: :shock:
I even downloaded the Train-line App to book/pay for my tickets :shock: :shock: :shock:
Very easy process the App.....I might even do it again :lol:
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

The Grauniad reports that classic tube trains built in 1938 are still tootling along on the Isle of Wight, but they are soon to be withdrawn and replaced by modern TSOs :?
..
As for a line from north to south Wales, demand for travel could be created by moving bureaucrats to branch offices in Aberystwyth, Machynlleth, maybe even in Brechfashire, doubtless many of them should prefer to go home to Caerdydd at the weekend
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mjr
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by mjr »

100%JR wrote:I even downloaded the Train-line App to book/pay for my tickets :shock: :shock: :shock:
Very easy process the App.....I might even do it again :lol:

If you book cheaper advance tickets (available on some services only), the Trainline charges you an extra booking fee. Other apps are available but I'm not comfortable recommending any of them because I just buy on a website and ask it to email me tickets (or a collection code for the ticket machine on routes not accepting emailed tickets).
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mjr
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by mjr »

Cyril Haearn wrote:The Grauniad reports that classic tube trains built in 1938 are still tootling along on the Isle of Wight, but they are soon to be withdrawn and replaced by modern TSOs :?

Replaced by 1970s tube trains, isn't it? D-Trains aka Penguins like seen on Bedford-Bletchley and soon in Wales.
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jgurney
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by jgurney »

Another reason why - just not here:

"Fares for or long-distance rail travel in Germany have dropped... as climate protection measures aimed at making train travel more attractive came into effect... trips of more than 50km (31 miles) on Deutsche Bahn’s Intercity Express trains can look forward to fare decreases of 10%. The company is also cutting prices on... transporting bicycles."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... ate-crisis

Across another border, another reason: Austrian railways reach their goal of running on 100% renewable electricity

https://infrastruktur.oebb.at/en/compan ... on-current
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Train travel in Germany may become slightly more attractive, driving too, if people switch to trains there is more road space, nothing is being done to make driving less attractive, the opposite, travel to work can be set against tax, the km-rate increases after 21 km :? Most longer journies are made by car of course

People might even make extra leisure trips instead of staying home
Tickets for local trains in Berlin for example are increasing in price
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merseymouth
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by merseymouth »

Hi there, The train fares in Germany can be reduced because the companies are permitted to bleed the British travellers who have to depend on the German owned companies here, both rail & bus services! The fare escalator in use here is a licence to print money.
I wonder if the owners of such services here will withdraw after the conclusion of Brexit? :shock: TTFN MM
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Wrong this time mm, sorry :?
The railway is just passing on a tax reduction
In the UK train travel is not taxed :wink:
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mjr
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by mjr »

merseymouth wrote:Hi there, The train fares in Germany can be reduced because the companies are permitted to bleed the British travellers who have to depend on the German owned companies here, both rail & bus services! The fare escalator in use here is a licence to print money.
I wonder if the owners of such services here will withdraw after the conclusion of Brexit? :shock: TTFN MM

That will be the German-railway-owned Arriva UK Trains which did not pay any dividend in 2018 (last year reported so far) and is up for sale since last March? I don't think that's what's reducing German fares!

One great thing about German railways is the national coverage of day pass tickets (unlimited travel on non-InterCity trains - the ones which take bikes most easily), both single-state ones for about €25 for a day and national for €44. This puts a cap on prices for longer journeys and gives a simple price for the sort of fiddly stop-start backtracking journeys which are such a pain in the UK that even I often drive them outside of London.

The UK only has an annoying patchwork of day passes with gaps and strange boundaries and no national ones. My station and the adjacent ones either side are the only stations in Norfolk not covered by any day pass. But see those that do exist at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fa ... overs.aspx
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merseymouth
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Re: Trains...why?

Post by merseymouth »

Hi Bryn, I knew it involved a tax cut, but I thought that I read that the companies didn't do a price hike as well, so in real terms a price cut! Yippee.
You are also right about the totally farcical fare structuring here in the UK, criminal.
But one little thing has got me optimistic, against my natural tendency, brought about by Trans Pennine Express? They have started a direct service between Liverpool & Scotland. Can't recall which Scottish destinations, as my aim is Penrith where the girl child has moved too. Three trains per day in each direction, stopping at Wigan, Preston then Penrith.
What has pleased me even more is the price I have paid for advanced tickets for February. Two of us return, with my Railcard Discount, £16 :shock: :shock: :shock: With Virgin we paid 3 to 4 times that price, so hopefully this will continue.
The rail franchising system in the UK is a national disgrace, definitely not fit for purpose! If we want to reverse the climate damage we must sort out the entire transport scene, we ain't walking into a meltdown, we're burning fossil fuel to get there! MM
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