File: King's Cross.jpg (676.9 KB)

What's in the news lately?
~Labour nationalises Rod Stewart's railway, despite the star's protests (thedailymash.co.uk/politics/labour-nationalises-rod-stewarts-railway-20250529257401/)
~First HS2 platforms installed at Old Oak Common station (mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/first-platforms-for-britains-new-high-speed-railway-installed-at-old-oak-common-station/)
~The Great Northern route is now entirely 'digitally signalled' (networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/great-northern-route-to-city-of-london-transformed-into-uks-first-signals-free-commuter-railway/)
~Network Rail are looking to replace the ageing 'yellow fleet' - including the Flying Banana (newcivilengineer.com/latest/network-rail-engages-on-1-2bn-contract-to-replace-yellow-fleet-with-new-monitoring-tech-12-05-2025/)
~New London-Stirling open-access service due to launch next year (https://www.therailwayhub.co.uk/71488/new-london-stirling-service-expected-to-launch-mid-2026/)

Cool stuff to do:
~lner.co.uk/our-destinations/popular-destinations/trains-to-york/things-to-do-in-york/ - take a trip at 125mph from King's Cross to York. Make sure to spend an hour or two in the National Railway Museum near York station, and take in York Castle and the city's Viking history exhibits afterward.
~avantiwestcoast.co.uk/where-we-go/destination-guides/lake-district/ - journey through the Dales into Oxenholme, and go mountain biking through the gorgeous natural scenery of the Lake District national park.
~www.sleeper.scot/destination/ftw/ - take the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Fort William, then change onto the westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/steam-train-trip/ Jacobite steam train that'll take you over the famous Glenfinnan 'Harry Potter viaduct'.
~scenicrailbritain.com/lines/st-ives-bay-line/ - the St Ives Bay Line will take you to the sandy beaches of Cornwall.
~cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/caerphilly-castle/ - visit the largest castle in Wales, a short walk from the station.

File: cover.jpg (462.5 KB)

...always annoys me that this board's software doesn't recognise the home nations' TLDs.

Anyway, this thread's book recommendation is The Subterranean Railway, by Christian Wolmar. Much like the author's other work, this is a social history, rather than lists of dates and engineering specifications - this time of how the London Underground came about in the first place, developed under a succession of geniuses and dodgy characters, declined post-WW2 into the 1950s, and somehow stuck around from Eden to Thatcher to become one of the world's finest urban transit networks.

As you'd expect, other than the stuff everyone knows already (London clay! Metro-land! Harry Beck's Tube map! Everyone's favourite anti-hero, Charles Tyson Bloody Yerkes!), the entertaining stuff is the shit that was flung at the wall that didn't quite stick - or how they actually got permission and funding before spades hit dirt - or how some things (NIMBYism, constant rows over financing and construction) truly never change. It's good. Go read it.

File: 01462_N76_pressnew.jpg (1.9 MB)

Six HS2 platforms at Old Oak Common seems a little low. Seems to be a severe lack of future-proofing.
By contrast, the new high-speed through-station in Stuttgart has 8.

File: CXW.png (1.3 MB)

>>2043132
...and here are the 29 platforms that puts everything you like to shame. For shame.

(putting hand to ear) What's that? Apples and oranges? Oh.

>>2043133
Is this some weird consequence of rural Chinese taking forever to board during major holiday migrations?

>>2043135
Pass. Still, one of my favourite CR anecdotes is that they used to run double-decker intercity trains as a matter of course back in the nineties, but by the turn of the millennium they'd been phased out in favour of conventional single-deck coaches, for the usual reasons - you get better return on your investment by improving the track, segregating traffic and running fast, long, frequent single-deck passenger trains instead, particularly at older stations with high passenger counts where you can't just plonk down a dozen or so new platforms (sound familiar?).

>>2043135
It's a consequence of good old fashioned despot monument building

File: google maps.png (1.7 MB)

...anyway, it's interesting to note that Phase One of HS2 has progressed to the stage where it's visible from space for pretty much its entire length. Switch to satellite view, turn off labels, scroll out a little bit, and there it is: all the way from London down to the outskirts of Birmingham.

>>2043141
American here. I have the sense that the worst NIMBYism in the UK is in rural south England.
Seems to me that future extensions of HS2 northwards should be easier. Not easy, but easier.

>>2043144
Probably an easier 'sell' if there's an operational railway to begin with: like how they used to electrify A to B, then C to D, and oh wouldn't you know it, think of the overall benefits if we were to electrify B to C!

>>2042295

>>2043141
I like that they're clearly pressing ahead with at least passive provision for Phase 2 ... which I'm of the opinion will be built, as designed, eventually, just a quarter-century behind schedule. God only knows as regards twiddly bits like the Golbourne link and so on.

File: jonworth.png (61.0 KB)

>>2043137
unfortunately, all the logic and hard data in the observable universe means nothing to weaselly knobheads like this. who've decided that they want double-decker trains; there's no fundamental issue preventing double-deckers from existing that cannot be overcome somehow; and thus the reason they aren't on a double-decker right now is because the train companies are all incompetent. like you may as well go outside and talk to trees instead, and you'd have more chance of a decent conversation

File: gbrf.png (876.9 KB)

Two new Class 99s turned up in Bristol today, to go into service with GB Railfreight by the end of the year. The other 28 making up the rest of the fleet are to follow by this time next year.

File: train thread poster's club.png (435.5 KB)

Also, shameful lol

File: 4th.png (1.3 MB)

https://www.barnardos.org.uk/events/your-view-forth-bridge

>Your View is an amazing opportunity to enjoy a 360 degree, uninterrupted panorama view of the Edinburgh and Fife coastline as you have never seen them before - from 361 feet up atop the iconic Forth Bridge!
>Your View is always an event to remember. Over the last six years, we've welcomed 6,321 adventurous visitors, assisted by 290 volunteers, raised £382,000, and even had 11 proposals on the bridge!
>In 2024, we raised over £55k for Barnardo's Scotland, which went towards our Employability, Training and Skills work providing employability support and training for young people, and our Child Poverty Campaign to help support children and their families in our services throughout Scotland. This event would not be possible without the generous support of Network Rail, Balfour Beatty and the Briggers to whom we are extremely grateful.

...I'm really, really, really tempted.

File: BFBS Forces News - They didn't expect this! Why 120 Guardsmen marched through King’s Cross at 6.30am [7c6rgKGquSQ - 1342x755 - 0m01s].png (1.3 MB)

crackdown on fare dodging

>https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/great-british-railways-in-action-passengers-benefit-from-track-and-train-being-united-on-south-eastern-railway
>Southeastern and Network Rail Kent Route have united under a single leadership team to drive investment and efficiency and deliver for passengers and freight in an important step towards Great British Railways (GBR). Further regional arrangements will come into place as other services transfer into public ownership.
>Operating as the South Eastern Railway team, and overseen by Managing Director Steve White, the streamlined structure will allow for a more responsive railway with a common purpose and clear accountability for railway performance across the network.

LNER, GWR, now SER ... LMS next?

File: hopevalley.png (2.6 MB)

seeing the peak district via the Hope Valley line. feeling blessed

File: inspiration.png (2.0 MB)

Nicked from Reddit: from the press launch of the Railway 200 'Inspiration' train at Paddington, featuring the world's cleanest Class 66 loco and ... it's probably a little underwhelming in the flesh. Love the Big Four logos though.

>GWR’s battery trains trials could bring big benefits to small lines
>https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/gwrs-battery-trains-trials-could-bring-big-benefits-to-small-lines-82169/
>At the moment, the cost of a diesel train is approximately £2.60 per mile, compared to 57p per mile for overhead-powered electric trains. Battery trains cost the same per mile, but avoid the upfront electrification costs, which average around £4.15 per train mile.
>GWR is now working on the assumption that a fast charger is needed every 100km of railway, at a cost of around £1.3 million. Therefore, the total cost of ownership of a battery train service would be just £2.52 per train mile.

...mixing and matching units (pence, pounds, miles, km...), but the figures come from the linked GWR white paper. Assuming they work for branch lines that haven't a hope of making their money back from the farebox, the numbers look good ... God help us if the DfT decide catenaries must be pulled down in the name of cost savings lol

File: 647f6f97-dfb3-496b-8d8d-1fed6fb16472.jpg (65.3 KB)

As everyone seem to have ideas about extending the Waterloo & City Line, I’ll throw my hat into the ring.

You make the line to Bank a spur, add a station near to Cannon Street (City?) or a bit further along, the continue the line to Fenchurch Street.

Fenchurch St gets a tube connection, double the platforms in the City, more demand outside of the peaks. You can even have 3 shuttles between Waterloo- Bank/City and Fenchurch St-City

Either that or have turn backs past the platforms and Waterloo to allow 2 trains in platforms whilst the 3rd is turned around

I know it will probably never happen as TfL have bigger fish to fry, but the crayon chewer in me likes it

>>2047304
as pointed out by a certain youtuber, this always, always feels like an 'I am compelled to fiddle with this thing in order to satisfy my own brainworms' rather than solving a tangible, IRL problem. go too far down that road and you end up litigating driverless trains and arguing about definitions of 'tube map' and uggghhhhhh

File: the-2024-stock-is-going-to-be-revolutionary-and-we-need-to-v0-6c1svfedgkie1-2.png (60.0 KB)

>>2047400
Yeah I get you.
It's very tempting if you're enthusiastic about the Underground, or transit in general to see a good thing and add to it. I understand the W&C is the way it is for good reasons. Extending from Bank north runs into other tunnels/ BoE vaults. Extending south from Waterloo puts more bodies onto trains that need the capacity from Waterloo. Widening tunnels and extending platforms needs tunnelling and costs £££.

But it does make me wonder how the new 2024 stock will fit, the W&C uses half length trains. I guess they either extend the platforms or take IM & KM sections out to make the new trains fit.

File: 80b3ff44-8924-4aba-8e09-1b1cc4b0b3ec.jpg (452.6 KB)

Boop! Uh oh, time for a D&A...

it's ... happening? maybe? kind of?

>https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/greater-manchester-mayor-tables-underground-rail-network-for-city-region-10-07-2025/
>Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has put forward a proposal to build an underground rail network for the city region.
>Burnham said: “We will need infrastructure on a bigger scale to cope.
>“It’s not a throwaway line. I am deadly serious.
>“I want TfGM to start preparing the original, first concept for what an underground for Manchester might look like. I’m going to open the earliest conversation with the government on what the funding mechanism will look like.”
>No dates of when a full proposal might be brought forward were given but Burnham was confident detailed plans involving costs and intended works will be put together by 2030.

File: Caledonian-Sleeper-review-1440x900.jpg.png (2.0 MB)

Has anyone here travelled on the Caledonian Sleeper and willing to share your experience on it? Planning a trip south and wondering if the novelty of it and the benefit of travelling while sleeping is worth it over just flying or taking an LNER train down the ECML.

File: not the harry potter viaduct.png (2.0 MB)

>>2048200
I've used it for a return between London and Inverness a couple of years ago, then again between London and Edinburgh for the Tattoo + Fringe last year, so even as a trainsexual I feel like I've thoroughly got it out of my system.

The experience is fine - like the Eurostar, once you take off the Youtube sheen it's just a train journey, in this case that you happen to go to sleep on - I'd say go for it, if only for the novelty, and see how you feel. Don't go for the seats, they're only there so they can say 'tickets from £30'.

Random thoughts:
- going south it'll be empty, coming north it'll be ram-jam
- by the time the trains leave their stations it'll be dark, even in August: the only scenery you'll have chance to take in is in the early morning from your cabin window, either rural-ish Scotland (going north) or lower WCML industrial parks (going south)
- the Sleeper lounge at Euston is one of the better station lounges out there - shame it's exclusive to the 'room with a shower' cabins
- normal room pro: bog-standard Sleeper experience. con: means you're either beginning the day with a strategic sink shower, or asking the onboard staff for a 'shower token' to use at your destination
- 'room with a shower' pro: breakfast's included, novelty of a warm shower on a moving train. con: hearing the flush from a neighbouring berth
- whatever you do, make sure you reserve a cabin in the middle of the carriage, so you're not over a bogie
- food on board's not terrible, as far as microwaveable ready meals go

as it happens I've just finished Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express - you know, _the_ 'golden age of international sleeper train travel' story - and it's amusing to me how many passengers seem to need 'sleeping draughts' or some other form of narcotic, to tolerate overnight journeys

>>2043144
Yes, as a Transport Planne, Nimbyism plus midern crony capital corrupt plus Tories, added 30bn to a budget to buikt needless tunnels.

the people that won, are the same idiots that then praise Switzerlands panoramic comfy train stock

Rail in Britain will forever be cucked until a stable government gives DfT proper recruiting and ORR, RSSB AND RAIB work with comfy teams in some form of train desus.

jyst look at who runs these orgs and it's nepotism, toffs, Masons, for some reason, Economics Graduates
aalso:
>Portillo and Grayling are mega bellends

>>2048212
I'd relocate the ORR outside the South East. Let the fuckers see just how much of a pain in the ass their goldplating is.

File: Openrailwaymap Sal-Picc tunnel.png (2.0 MB)

>>2048197
There isn't enough money (that the Treasury are willing to release) for a full network.

They're better off building a tunnelled route bypassing the Castlefield Corridor (e.g. Piccadilly - St Peter's Square - Salford) that they can increase the capacity on that section. Also, adding the curve back at Ardwick Junction would allow services between Piccadilly and Victoria, or Picc trains North/East and Vic South without needing Castlefield.

Both of those, or even quadrupling Castlefield and adding Platform 15/16 at Piccadilly should be considered before an Underground/ heavy Metro system.

>>20482112
That and don't forget £100m+ for a bat tunnel, to protect ~300 bats in the wood. That's ~£330k per bat.
They would've been better off spending a fraction of that money buying land the other side of the woods from HS2 and re-wilding it so the bats have more habitat.

File: localshop.png (1.2 MB)

>>2048432
>Both of those, or even quadrupling Castlefield and adding Platform 15/16 at Piccadilly should be considered before an Underground/ heavy Metro system.
True, but, you're thinking from a national perspective. Mr. Burnham is, of course, thinking from a local perspective for local people ... also why he's been banging the drum, hard, for a Manchester HS2 station that isn't, delicately speaking, built to Treasury standards.

>>2048432
Burnham seems to be thinking of something along the lines of a Manchester S-Bahn...

>>2048459
>>2048464
Agreed, he's mayor of Greater Manchester, and wants to make noise about his county.

If it isn't already in place, the best new transit idea for TfGM would be a radial Metrolink route, or Superloop style bus services. Both of which could connect the boroughs without needing to go into the centre and back out again.

File: file.png (31.4 KB)

one more 'absolutely bonkers enthusiast takes' image to add to the collection...

File: crayonista ranting ... but.....png (812.8 KB)

>>2048459
>a Manchester HS2 station that isn't, delicately speaking, built to Treasury standards.
I mean, why not dream big? Let's quad-track the Castlefield corridor: and then while the city centre is going to be a construction site for a decade or so, let's reopen Mayfield as Manchester's HS2 station to boot. Fuck it, let's join Mayfield to the Corridor while we're at it, thus solving the 'how to get HS2 to Liverpool' issue as well as offering a high-speed domestic service between two of the country's biggest cities.

>https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/orr-network-rail-delivering-efficiently-cost-pressures-remain-and-industry-must-keep
>ORR: Network Rail delivering efficiently, but cost pressures remain and industry must keep focus on safety throughout rail reform
>The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has delivered its assessment of Great Britain’s railway in its annual reports released today (Thursday 17 July). ORR highlights that Britain’s railway remains one of the safest in Europe and the industry has made good progress in a number of areas, including taking action to address overdue structure assessments and dealing with weather-related risk, although this has been delivered in the context of focussed regulatory attention. However, clear issues remain with record high rail cancellations, the majority of which are attributed to train operating companies, and financial challenges for Network Rail.

Mildly interesting. Weather risk, a weird series of level crossing issues, cost pressures through inflation, still a safe railway to use. Sort of a, 'keep on keeping on' kind of thing.

File: 1728982624623356.png (3.9 MB)

me and the boys

What's wrong with the new DLR train sets?

File: CLA.png (1017.1 KB)

Looks like the new I-forget-what-it's-called wayfinding scheme signage is going in at Clapham Junction, and it looks really smart when done with a little thought and care.

https://vimeo.com/1095076736

'One, single, consistent signage across the entire railway' is probably a pipe dream, especially with three decades of private operation having scattered that concept to the seven seas, but, still. It's a start.

File: 801205.png (3.9 MB)

..and also: mild lol, mixed with mild terror:

>On board, staff handed out LNER bucket hats and t-shirts, and there was an on-board musician for the obligatory sing-alongs.

File: conceptinterior.png (848.9 KB)

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n54MALw5aDc
>https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/the-big-reveal-hs2-to-showcase-train-interior-design-development
>Rail enthusiasts heading to Alstom’s The Greatest Gathering event in Derby this weekend (1-3 August) will have the opportunity to see the concept designs for HS2’s Class 895 trains.
>The design features include:
>A generous seat pitch – with more leg room than any other standard class UK train
>Improved overhead and beneath the seat luggage storage, recognising that passengers prefer to have their possessions close by
>Baby changing tables, clothing/bag hooks and a pull-down child seat in toilet cubicles, reflecting feedback from families travelling with small children
>Saloon seats with a spacious dropdown tray table and a separate shelf to stand phones on when viewing video content
>Multiple power and charging options including 3-pin plugs and USB-C
>Redesigned horizontal bike storage, which maximises space and makes it quicker and easier for cyclists to board and alight
>The bogies will be manufactured in Crewe, the bodyshell welding and electrical installation will be completed in County Durham, and the interior fit out will be completed at the Hitachi-Alstom High Speed joint venture facility in Derby.

They've taken care to point out that these aren't the final seats, these aren't the final colours, and there's been multiple changes to the structure of the train since the mockups were built, mostly around feedback from the handicapped ... so pleased that they actually went and built mockups for people to walk around and bang their heads on the overhead racks, rather than monging out about VIRTUAL REALITY.

Missed the boat for tickets to the Greatest Gathering. Oh well.

>>2049659

>>2050069
I also missed the boat anon. If only I had pulled my finger out of my arse and organised it properly.

>https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/orr-approves-limited-new-passenger-services-east-coast-main-line-december-2025

A handful more open access operations will run from next year as well - nothing earth-shaking, just the existing operators getting a little larger slice of the pie: a couple of extra Grand Central services from Bradford and Wakefield to London, an extra Hull Trains service between Hull and London, and Lumo are extending a handful of their services to Glasgow via Edinburgh, in addition to a few more Newcastle runs

I think it's all something to do with the long, long, long overdue timetable recast they're planning for the ECML for December - if memory serves Grand Central were after buying new 80x trains contingent on expanding their services, and I think Lumo have taken over the KGX-GLC service from LNER

>>2049659
Teething trouble with the signalling, apparently:
>https://www.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk/2025/02/08/new-dlr-train-introduction-saga-continues/
>“While there had been earlier challenges discovered during the testing of the new trains, we were implementing a plan to address these.
>“But the discovery of the signalling issue means that further detailed analysis and software modifications need to take place. We are working hard to bring the new trains into service as soon as possible.”
I vaguely remember hearing something about the new trains randomly overshooting platforms, might just be online chatter though. God knows they're sorely needed, heading towards Canning Town it's like you're doing the hula if you're standing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz3SC92cC4I

Love this. Delta Junction at dusk, eerily stark + beautiful on a warm summer's night.

File: file.png (3.6 MB)

Nicked from one of the brainmelts over at Railuk, taken at the Greatest Gathering: the current plan - who knows if it'll change down the line - for seating arrangements on HS2's Class 895s. 8x25m coaches make up a single 200m unit, which will be run doubled-up as a complete 16-coach 400m train. Whispers are that the platform edge doors at HS2 stations are being binned, but, again, who knows.

Doesn't look like there's anything out of this world going on - dedicated bike storage and buggy storage? OK then - and I'm half-wondering if there's a miniature galley at the first-class end - otherwise *shrug*

File: thread now deleted for some reason.png (15.9 KB)

>>2050069
I've not heard good things regarding the attendees. Absolutely cracking open day, don't get me wrong: well organised, basically an airshow for trains -- the issue being enthusiasts publicly melting down, causing a fuss about bags at the entrance, refusing to queue neatly for the stuff everyone wanted to see (43s, 91s, Tornado etc) and if you can believe it, vandalising the fucking exhibits (literal BAZZA WOZ ERE tags, nicking lamps and stuff). Death to the wooly-hat-and-camera brigade, each and every last one of them. Absolutely shameful behaviour from grown adults

>>2050435
Where have you heard this? Everywhere I have looked has everyone giving glowing reviews with complaints about the lack of seating and the price of food.

NRM at the Gathering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_MGLxhQi0I

(I'm honestly surprised there's not been a Jago or a Geoff video on the topic yet)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NInF4GqcRow

Which one of you is this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck7YJgA3fIE

New Piccadilly Line trains are on test ... shame this appears to have been filmed by a potato.

File: m_ODX_LNER_Oasis_01.jpg (228.9 KB)

>>2049710
>Urge to kill rising

File: 1724641356777587.png (860.0 KB)

*sigh* Branson wants to be in the news again.

>https://bmmagazine.co.uk/news/virgin-orders-12-alstom-trains-eurostar-challenge/
>Virgin Trains has agreed a deal with French manufacturer Alstom for 12 new high-speed trains as part of its plan to compete with Eurostar on cross-Channel routes from 2030.
>The company’s submission to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) confirms it has secured binding exclusivity for the Avelia Stream model — the latest generation of the Pendolino tilting trains that Virgin introduced to the UK’s West Coast Main Line two decades ago. Similar trains are already in service in Sweden and Italy.
>Virgin’s proposal outlines services from London St Pancras to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam, with longer-term ambitions to extend further into France, Germany, and Switzerland. The venture will be led by Phil Whittingham, former boss of Virgin Trains UK.

File: library.png (482.2 KB)

>Construction to start next year on the first part of the Crossrail 2 railway
>https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/construction-to-start-next-year-on-part-of-the-crossrail-2-railway-83248/

...disingenuous shit, it's just the British Library extension that'll leave a void for the Crossrail 2 station that'll eventually, maybe, probably, end up being built in situ. But, yes, technically it's CR2 infrastructure.

File: 1733503262599934.gif (1.9 MB)

>>2051649
I'll take it.

File: beep.png (907.6 KB)

>Merseyrail 'tap-and-go' ticketing launched
>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mlgwv8lxgo
>A new contactless payment system for purchasing train tickets on the Merseyrail network has been launched.
>The "tap-and-go" system allows passengers to use a MetroCard linked to their bank account to make journeys across the Liverpool City Region.
>The second phase will launch later this year and will see passengers able to use their bank card, or devices such as phones or watches, without the need for a MetroCard.

Long, long overdue imo. From the sound of things, it's been thought out properly - daily/weekly caps, useful across rail, bus and ferry and so on - so that's London, Manchester and now Liverpool where you can get around with either a smartcard if you're local, or the bank card you already have if you're visiting.

Thinking about it a little, I suppose the fashion these days is to assume there should be 'one smartcard to rule them all', which I'd disagree with - the point of having local schemes for local people is so they can work locally, I don't see a particular reason why a Bee Network card should let you onto the DLR or, you get the idea.

File: hooray.png (2.0 MB)

Oh, and.

>Great Western Railway battery train sets new world distance record of 200 miles to celebrate Railway 200 in style
>https://railuk.com/rail-news/great-western-railway-battery-train-sets-new-world-distance-record-of-200-miles-to-celebrate-railway-200-in-style/

Not much to add. Obviously catenary is the grand ideal, but, for arse-end-of-nowhere branch lines with a two-car 40-year-old DMU currently puttering back and forth all day every day, swapping in a battery pack is the obvious stopgap.

>>2051944
You leave my 40-year-old DMU alone. She's perfect the way she is.

>>2052181
Based 40-year-old DMU respecter

I searched 'ancient 20-tonne pile of scrap that's always breaking down and pollutes the atmosphere with its noxious exhaust' and it took me to OP's house

>>2052237
>tonne

We use tons here.

File: 18377.jpg (1.3 MB)

>>2052181
Luv me Class 158

Simple as.

File: 1729291396080061.png (1007.7 KB)

>>2052242

>>2048459
>built to Treasury standards
"Treasury standards" tend to be massively over-expensive, making getting anything new done cost many times what it should and take a lot longer.

>>2048197
I can't see this happening. I would love it, but we already have trams and buses, and they aren't overcrowded. I would give my left arm for an underground rail line from the airport to the city centre, stopping in every suburb along the way (Wythenshawe, Northenden, Didsbury, Withington, etc) but why would anyone spend all that money just to make a faster 43 bus with added tunnels and fewer stops?

>>2052436
I think the logic is to get this nailed down *before* the entire network starts bulging at the seams - like everyone knows the cliché about how the best time to start building [thing] was two decades ago - God only knows how things will end up, but from the sound of it things are at least being thought about in a joined-up kind of way:

>https://railuk.com/travel/plans-progress-for-expansion-of-greater-manchesters-tram-and-train-network/
>Launched as part of the Greater Manchester Strategy in July, the Mayor and local council leaders pledged for 90% of people in city-region to be within a five-minute walk of a bus or tram that comes at least every 30 minutes by 2030. The work is all part of a plan to link every borough in Greater Manchester to the Metrolink network, with a long-term plan for major expansion of the Bee Network.

>>2043563
This card is carried by the gang of retards nominally 'in charge' of finally manifesting the 810 Aurora.

>>2043144
>NIMBYism
Forced purchases are still theft. Repeal planning laws.

>>2048212
Rail’s been fucked since the start of the 20th century due to all the various government interventions we’ve had. Too many regulations means nobody can invest their capital in useful stuff nor innovate. Then massive state spending means theres little incentive to compete with what the state’s offering for “free”. Then following massive taxes means nobody’s even got capital to invest.

Pulling on the thread of miserable UK rail reveals its part of pratically every other problem from immigration to housing to jobs. Any politician even vaugely willing to improve things realises this, and backs off seeing how enormous in scope the restructure it would be, how many lifetimes it would take, and how likely your assassination or lynching would be in the meantime. UK’s done, WW1 and 2 took us out, dyagenics and leftism did the rest.

>>2048432
> There isn't enough money
Certainly not now. Of the £20 billion of bonds printed recently, £16 billion were purely interest payments. Labour can’t count. Never could, never will. At least treacherous tories scam it for themselves.

But again, just watch Yes, Minister to understand how any fleeting moment of goodwill from a politician is stamped out by the horrid beast of a problem the country is. Theoretically fixable (mind control, infinite energy, necromancy), not practically.

Oh fuck off.

File: triangle station.png (54.5 KB)

>https://transportdesigned.com/introducing-northerns-new-network-map/
Northern have redesigned their service map. At first I thought it was just another stupid fucking map nerd 'look how clever we are at representing complex stuff visually' nonsense - because at the end of the day, service patterns are unavoidably complex because that's the pattern that most efficiently meets peoples' needs: it's not *meant* to look pretty on a map, whatever shade of ochre you make the lines or how thick they are. Still, it's interesting, and pretty to look at.

...and a data breach at LNER. https://www.lner.co.uk/news/lner-media-update-data-information/
>We have been made aware of unauthorised access to files managed by a third-party supplier, which involves customer contact details and some information about previous journeys.
>Importantly, no bank, payment card or password information has been affected.

New Railwatch out. As always, some good news, some not-so-good news, mostly Boomers grouching about stuff. https://railwatch.org.uk

>>2048197

just extend the tram to fucking Stockport already

>>2053490
The cowards have left off Carlisle - Nottingham

File: kgx granary warehouse.png (628.9 KB)

>Trade in bananas from the West Indies grew very rapidly in the first years of the twentieth century. Imports were started about 1902 by Elders & Fyffe through Bristol and Manchester (Salford) Docks. Within three years, six more boats were in service and three were being built. It was at this point that Elders & Fyffe, who wished to increase the service from Manchester to London, approached the GNR for heated wagons and storage accommodation in the goods yard. They were offered three bays under the new Outwards Shed, in what were formerly the Western Coal Drops.
>The volume shipped via King’s Cross increased from 2,255 tons in 1905 to 7,768 tons in 1907, suggesting that bananas had rapidly become a staple of many Londoners’ diets.
>Milk became an important traffic for the Company in the 1880s. In 1884 King’s Cross dealt with 44,273 churns (a churn held 10 gallons or 46 litres). The Company built special sidings at King’s Cross in 1893 for the milk trade, and by 1910 about 250,000 milk churns were being delivered each year, four or five special milk trains being run every day with many other wagons attached to ordinary trains. The milk platform was formed with a low area so that trucks could be backed directly alongside rail wagons for the transfer of milk churns.
The more I read about the pre-Grouping companies' freight operations, the more I'd love a simulator - or even a Two Point Hospital-a-like - that made use of storage and handling infrastructure like all this.

>>2053995
I've often yearned for a Railroad Tycoon style game where you have to make freight yards (with hump shunting etc.), and trains don't phase through one another, and there are turntables for steam locos etc.

>>2052242
Correct.

File: ctrl+alt+deleaf.png (1.3 MB)

*laughs mildly*

>>2053995
What an incredible bit of infrastructure

File: stan_laurel_Confused__be_big_3.jpg (33.1 KB)

>>2054340
I can hardly contain my mirth.

>>2053114
>But again, just watch Yes, Minister to understand how any fleeting moment of goodwill from a politician is stamped out by the horrid beast of a problem the country is. Theoretically fixable (mind control, infinite energy, necromancy), not practically.
The integrated transport plan episode is one of my favourites from the whole series, because it's neither the civil serpents nor the politicians who are the ultimate villains, but the general public.

File: locomotion#1.png (951.2 KB)

>https://www.therailwayhub.co.uk/71933/locomotion-no-1-replica-to-run-on-stockton-darlington-railway-line-this-weekend/
>A replica of a historic steam locomotive will re-enact the birth of the modern railway this weekend – however Network Rail has issued a safety reminder ahead of the event.
>A newly restored replica of Locomotion No.1 and passenger carriage Experiment will run on sections of the original Stockton and Darling Railway line in County Durham between Friday and Sunday.
>The Anniversary Journey event is part of year-long celebrations to mark the opening of the line on September 27 1825.
>Network Rail has issued a warning to people planning to view the journeys of the “significant danger” of trespassing on the railways.
>Operations director Karen Duffy said: “We want the viewing public to have a fantastic time during this celebratory weekend, but we can’t stress enough how important it is to keep safe.

Usual armchair Clarksons throwing tantrums on Facebook ... God help us if some idiot who just couldn't control themselves gets themselves hurt for their precious scrapbook.

Still, there it is. Mark the date in your calendars: this weekend, two hundred years since it all began.

File: 810.png (87.1 KB)

Might be just >railway journalism, but, it's probably happening? Maybe? Kind of?
>Delayed train fleet set to start running
>The first trains of a new fleet connecting Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield with London are set to come into service after their introduction was initially delayed.
>Some trains from the new Class 810 Aurora fleet are now set to be put into use on services in the coming weeks and will complete a phased rollout through 2026.

File: locomotion#1.png (1.0 MB)

it's not much, but it's a thing of beauty regardless

File: stp.png (2.2 MB)

St Pancras is 157 years old today. Still looks like a wedding cake compared to its more elegant neighbour, I think.

I'm in LNER-land, and I'll be travelling to Glasgow in February for a concert. Usually if I'm headed to Scotland I'd be on an LNER Azuma from Doncaster so, being a saddo, I'm looking to vary things up a little. I'm currently chewing over a few options.

>TPE Manchester Picc - Glasgow
...which would mean three hours or so on one of the Nova 2 CAF units.

>CrossCountry York - Glasgow
...so a direct service, almost.

>TPE Doncaster - Warrington, Avanti Warrington - Glasgow
...meaning doing the Warrington Central -> Warrington Bank Quay thing, but, honestly, this is the most appealing at the moment.

Thoughts? I'd thought about heading into London for a day out and then doubling-back to Glasgow on the Sleeper; but, I've taken the Sleeper before, and honestly the idea of being dumped into Glasgow at 07:00 in February, wandering around until my hotel room's ready, doesn't appeal lol.

latest Good Railway News:
- Camp Hill line refurbishment well underway (gangs of hi-viz all over the shop), due to re-open by the end of the year
- Transpennine Route Upgrade coming in on time + making major progress around Huddersfield, looking like a model project
- new Newcastle Metro trains and DLR trains gradually coming on stream
- class 810s due to come into service late this year/early next year for Midland services

things are looking good!

File: trying to workshop a 'wrong turn at alberquerque' joke.png (1.3 MB)

>https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/hs2-celebrates-final-birmingham-tunnel-breakthrough
>An enormous machine being used to dig HS2’s Birmingham approach tunnels broke through today, marking the completion of major tunnel excavation between London’s Old Oak Common and the West Midlands.
>Today’s milestone means that all the excavation is now complete for the 28 miles of deep bore tunnel between Old Oak Common in west London and the railway’s terminus at Birmingham Curzon Street. Construction teams are now mainly focused on internal walkways, ventilation shafts and cross passages.
>Two more TBMs are expected to launch next year to begin digging the tunnels from Old Oak Common to HS2’s final destination, London Euston.
Kind of shit that this is now the message being broadcast, rather than 'fucking look at this achievement':
>Mark Wild, HS2 Ltd’s chief executive, is now leading a comprehensive reset of the programme to deliver the railway in the most efficient way possible and for the lowest reasonable cost.
...but, better than nothing at all, I suppose. Here's a youtube link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkDbidQdBPg

Oh and Greater Anglia was nationalised as well the other day. Should probably mention that as well lol.

File: obviously the loco goes at the other end.png (3.0 MB)

Chiltern take delivery of the former Transpennine Express Mark5 coaches today, which they'll put into service early next year. At least someone's getting to put them to good use!

File: babe a new tick tock just dropped.png (937.6 KB)

so, er, there's been a new clock launched. 'A new Timepiece for the Railway'. Apparently the gimmick is that the arrows start out at the 12 o'clock position, meet up at the 6 o'clock position in 30 seconds, then meet again at 12 o'clock in another 30 seconds; so of course one revolution per minute.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/stories/a-new-timepiece-for-the-railway/

File: file.png (305.2 KB)

MOST IMPORTANTLY though, there's been some new Design Museum merch produced as a celebration. RAIL SYMBOL SOCKS https://designmuseumshop.com/collections/network-rail-double-arrow-range-by-the-design-museum

>>2055305
CC's York-Glasgow route will be a Voyager most likely (or a coupled pair), so you probably ought to pick something else. They tend to be packed with idiots who can't understand a reservation.
You could also change at both Picc and Preston, if you want more flexibility.
(At least you're not talking about taking the TPE-North routes; the TRU is making them suck a lot about 50% of the time. It's pretty when they're rerouted through Hebden Bridge, but that diversion takes FOREVER. That's my commute route so I know too damn much about this.)

>>2056299
heh. only a matter of time, I suppose https://railclock.davwheat.dev

I have a question. Are electrified tracks actually better? They are electrifying Manchester-Leeds-York at the moment at presumably vast expense. What makes this better? Doesn't make it faster as that is determined by track layout. Isn't any quieter if locomotive hauled, which would be the obvious way to pull any train of known length rather than diesel multiples.

Generating huge amounts of electricity elsewhere then transmitting it carries all sorts of infrastructure costs and surely there is a lot to be said for making the motive power in situ, as every car or boat does. There isn't the risk of power failure either which would cripple the railway whenever it happens.

My assumption is this is a way to build even more infrastructure into the track so have an even stronger incentive to use it.

What stops high speed rail being diesel hauled instead? It is just a bigger engine. What is the actual reason for doing any of this beyond stop-start commuter trains?

File: celestia.png (2.2 MB)

*rubbing temples*

>https://mediacentre.eurostar.com/mc_view?language=&article_Id=ka4WS0000000YBNYA2
>Introducing “Eurostar Celestia” - new double-decker, sustainable trains
>Eurostar today announces a landmark €2 billion* investment in up to 50 new double-decker trains built by Alstom Group – the first ever to operate through the Channel Tunnel and on the UK network.
>Eurostar has confirmed an order for 30 trains, with an option for a further 20, marking a significant step in Eurostar’s growth journey to 30 million annual passengers.
>The new fleet, named Eurostar Celestia will be a bespoke design created from Alstom’s Avelia Horizon platform. The 200-metre trains will be interoperable across all five countries served today plus new destinations of Geneva and Frankfurt.

>>2056780
Diesel trains, in this day and age, burn diesel to power a generator that feeds energy to electric motors. Electric trains skip the fuel tank and generator, and suck their juice directly from the overhead catenary: or from the third rail if you're in Kent. The weight savings mean that an electric train will be nippier on its feet than a comparable diesel: and of course they can also do other tricks like regenerative braking.

As for generating electricity elsewhere ... that's basically the National Grid.

>>2056927
The weight saving is minor. Trains have a lot of weight hauling capacity and even motorbikes remain nippy while carrying and engine. Diesel trains can do regenerative breaking too with a small battery if they are the electric transmission type. And diesel cars with mechanical transmissions are plenty nippy enough.

I mean more the economics of it. There must be some factor that makes the costs of electrification worth doing. But it is never spelled out.

>>2056780
There's always a trade-off

Electric trains are much better if you're running frequent trains, have a need for a lot of power & faster acceleration, or have pollution issues.

Diesel trains don't need massive, expensive investment in line side infrastructure and don't have any issues with electric supply compatibility.

In overall performance electric > diesel, but only economic if run enough to pay for their supply equipment.

It's similar to buying vs renting a car. If you're not going to need it often (1 weekend a month), renting is fine. But if you need it every day, if you buy outright you can save more money in the long run.

>>2056927
Not always, a lot of DMUs have a hydraulic transmission as it saves a few tons.

>>2057011
>I mean more the economics of it. There must be some factor that makes the costs of electrification worth doing.
There is: you can run a more intense electric service than you can diesel, for the reasons I mentioned, which (as you say) commuter trains benefit hugely. Then the network effect spreads so that everyone (lol) benefits from nippy electrics that don't require refuelling and have fewer moving parts to take care of.

>>2057039
>a lot of DMUs have a hydraulic transmission
Not really, these days at least. The Western region of BR were fond of them, the bloody snowflakes that they were, but these days there's the 180s that Grand Central are eager to bin off for a new trimode 800 fleet instead, and I think maybe CrossCountry's fleet of Voyagers and/or Super Voyagers?

File: l'eurostar regional.png (3.4 MB)

>>2056849
There's always the dream...

File: file.png (1.1 MB)

it's been a lot nicer eusing Euston lately, now that they've gotten rid of one of the mini-boards on the concourse and actually announce platforms in advance. it's not fixed forever, it won't be unless the whole pile is knocked down and started from fresh, but it's an improvement.

File: 3840px-Greater_Anglia_Class_755_on_Cattawade_viaduct_260222.jpg (1.3 MB)

>>2057011
It's all about energy efficiency and power to weight.

Diesel engines convert fuel (Chemical energy) -> Movement (Kinetic energy) at 40% efficiency maximum. Electric motors convert Electrical energy -> Kinetic energy at ~95% efficiency.
Also because they move power generation off the train to power plants & the grid, electric locos & EMUs are only limited by how much power they can put to rails. In diesels the limit is having a power pack & fuel tank that still fits in the train, which means less power than a full power plant.

>motorbikes & diesel cars remain nippy while carrying an engine
Motorbikes & cars are orders of magnitude lighter than trains, a single carriage bogie weighs nearly as much as a double-decker bus. Power requirements scale linearly with weight. More weight -> bigger engine -> bigger pistons with more inertia -> slower throttle response.

>Diesel trains can do regenerative breaking too with a small battery
Battery tech has only recently been able to do this. Even with Lithium chemistry it still has a weight penalty compared to pure electric. Plus batteries can only supplement diesel for a short-term boost before they need charging.

>>2057042
Nah, Voyagers have electric transmissions. There aren't many diesel-electric DMUs in the UK. The increased efficiency of transmission often doesn't make up for the added weight of the alternators and motors, especially at lower power outputs found in sub 100mph DMUs.

File: IMG_3243.jpg (3.2 MB)

I bought a brass O-Scale model of a Dreyfus Hudson

File: orr.png (134.1 KB)

April-June statistics are out from the ORR. Nothing breathtaking, but still: look at those Elizabeth line figures. Unreal.

File: Geoff Marshall - Beaulieu Park Station IS NOW OPEN! [GgTiAYQIMNE - 1401x788 - 6m13s].png (1.3 MB)

>brand new station
>doesn't use RA2 on the signage
reeeeee

>>2057479
>Diesel engines convert fuel (Chemical energy) -> Movement (Kinetic energy) at 40% efficiency maximum. Electric motors convert Electrical energy -> Kinetic energy at ~95% efficiency.
This is incorrect as the conversion from chemical energy to electric happens at the power station and must be accounted for, along with transmission losses. Glancing about online these seem to be about 8% to the consumer (including trains).
Reading here:
https://www.pcienergysolutions.com/2023/04/17/power-plant-efficiency-coal-natural-gas-nuclear-and-more/
it says power station conversion losses are some 66% with coal and nuclear and upwards of 60% efficient for combined cycle gas turbine producers - which is only for base load generation. The "jet engine attached to dynamo" model used to back up variable sources like wind is only 30% efficient.
All sounds within a similar range of an ordinary diesel locomotive taken together.

>Motorbikes & cars are orders of magnitude lighter than trains, a single carriage bogie weighs nearly as much as a double-decker bus. Power requirements scale linearly with weight. More weight -> bigger engine -> bigger pistons with more inertia -> slower throttle response.
Which suggests that the nippiness of electric commuter trains is extreme fuel inefficiency. They are capable of huge power draw to accelerate but if they were driven in the manner of a diesel they would save significant energy.

Railways are the one area where overhead power transmission has prospered. It used to be far more common for roads (in the form of trams and trolleybuses) than it is today and has never caught on for private vehicles. I would like to understand this. India is almost 100% electric now at what must be vast internal investment. There must be quantifiable payoffs for this to be worth doing.

>>2057683
>it says power station conversion losses are some 66% with coal and nuclear and upwards of 60% efficient for combined cycle gas turbine producer
Poorly worded. I mean, power station efficiency by fuel:

Coal 33%
Nuclear 33%
Combined cycle gas 60%
Variable output gas 30%
(the latter paired with with turbines)
Transmission loss -8%
Loss in locomotive -5%

I have been looking online trying ot get a grip on the economics of rail electrification. Especially in progress of it in India, which I real is now some 98% electric. But the interesting thing is Pakistan is exclusively diesel powered and has in fact de-electrified its one electric track

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Railways

This thing is, they are basically the same country. They are culturally hardly distinguishable. It is odd that there would be such a firm divergence on this issue.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Railways

File: live reaction.gif (2.0 MB)

It's not been a good few days for the railway, has it ... but, silver linings abound. Or whatever the right phrase is for 'thank fuck things weren't any worse'.

There's been a landslide on the WCML this morning, which derailed a southbound Pendolino. A few bumps and bruises on board, a bit of havoc in the timetable and a little battle damage to the 390 and track, but thankfully that's that. Usual questions to be asked about track upkeep.

Likewise, some loony saw fit to go at people with a knife on the ECML on Halloween ... and yet thanks to some genuine heroics by an onboard staff member (currently in stable condition in hospital) and some seriously quick thinking by a anonymous-as-far-as-I'm-aware signaller to divert the train to Huntingdon, so that armed bastards could subdue and nab the culprit, that's as bad as things were.

It's like, shit happened, as it does, and it's shit that it happened. All you can do is hope that heads are banged together, and books are thrown as needed. Just disheartening to see """enthusiasts""", having grudgingly learned that IS THE TRAIN OK isn't acceptable, are now doing their Chicken Little act and suggesting that seat tray tables should be detachable so they can be used as a bludgeon, or whatever. Fuck's sake.

File: Freight-train-at-Manchester-Oxford-Road-Rail-Delivery-Group-copy.jpg (227.2 KB)

>>2057484
Happy for you anon, but:
>This thread is for talking about railways, and things related to railways, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

>>2057596
Absolutely stunning numbers.
Genuinely makes me wonder if they could replicate that success by introducing this concept to other large cities.

>>2057683
These are from people in rail industry sources:
>Electric trains are more efficient in their energy use since there is no energy conversion process other than that which takes place at the motor; the only losses are those from the generation, transmission and motor control processes. In addition, the regenerative braking capability of an electric train increases its efficiency further, recovering up to 20% of the energy consumed. This means a typical electric traction unit has between 182% and 237% of the power of a comparable diesel unit, while requiring only one third of the energy. For urban transit, trams are seven times as efficient at using energy as an equivalently loaded diesel bus, due to the difference between rolling resistance of steel-wheel-on-steel-rail and rubber tyres on tarmac, improved drive efficiency and lower weight.
'Generation-to-motor efficiency of electric trains is an estimated 80%, compared with batteries at around 65% and diesel or hydrogen at 25%.'

The pdf found here has a lot more info on it, it does focus on 25kV AC OHLE over other types.
>https://ocs4rail.com/downloads/

>>2057755
>Genuinely makes me wonder if they could replicate that success by introducing this concept to other large cities.
If someone manages to unclench the iron fist of the Treasury and stop the ORR from goldplating everything and dithering for decades, then maybe.

File: Shap train derailment-2.png (1.6 MB)

>>2057741
The Orange Army marches on. WCML trains back running again.

File: 2877px-20200729_Sheffield_Supertram_203.jpg (1.3 MB)

>>2057860
Leeds is a prime example.
Largest city in Europe to not have a metro/light rail system. It needs a tram system pre-metro that can be upgraded into a metro like Tyne & Wear. Trams can deal with pretty steep gradients so Leeds shouldn't be an issue.

Manchester, Birmingham & Glasgow could benefit from a proper metro. Sheffield needs another link to Manchester (not Woodhead) and a proper commuter rail service.

Additionally, a rolling program of electrification should be followed, and make it a legal requirement to meet _x_ stk per year so the Treasury and government can't cancel easily.

File: 810 (no yellow front reeeee).png (1.5 MB)

>First EMR Aurora train will enter service this December
>https://news.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/news/a-new-dawn-breaks-as-emr-confirms-first-aurora-train-will-enter-service-this-december
>Transport UK and EMR confirm first Aurora from new £400 million fleet will begin running this December
>New trains provide more seats, modern, spacious interiors and enhanced accessibility features
>The state-of-the-art Hitachi Rail built fleet will transform the experience of customers as they travel on the Midland Main Line
Long awaited indeed: if memory serves, the current 222s are being handed straight over to Lumo for their new Stirling-London service, beginning next year.

File: cbt no not that one.png (1.5 MB)

Hell has frozen over: looks like regulated rail fares to be frozen next year. In England only, because of the devolution thing, but still. Wow.

(and as usual the miseryguts' brigade are immediately doomsaying about everything else, but, fuck 'em)

File: shop with a tree hat on.png (3.6 MB)

they've built a miniature tourist trap in King's Cross lol

>>2058478
except maybe not because if you lock the toilet before the midlands women finishes speaking then she'll lock you /inside/ the toilet because whoever vibecoded the door mechanism didn't think that someone might lock the door... idk... the second they get in the toilet!

>>2059874
I bet yanks are losing their minds over that

>>2058106
>Leeds is a prime example.
They're hashing out the first routes now with actual budgets in mind, and there's quite a political push for it. It might even happen.
The route looks like it will be stupid, duplicating an existing rail line that can't be taken over (for a bunch of practical reasons that will take at least a decade to sort out). Because of course it is.

>>2060085
Do tell? London, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow have their local rail networks off the back of the shipping trade, going back to the times when first-world countries had actual domestic industries that made and exported stuff. Obviously that's a little difficult for Leeds-by-the-Sea hehe

Why do we love model trains? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o-ZRsfXexw

>https://www.deutschebahn.com/de/presse/pressestart_zentrales_uebersicht/DB-und-Eurostar-schaffen-Grundlage-fuer-eine-Direktverbindung-von-Deutschland-nach-London-13692362
>DB and Eurostar lay the foundation for first high-speed connection with MoU • Great potential for new direct connections – political action essential • New connection between London and Germany planned for the early 2030s
>Objectives of the planned cooperation:
>Establishing a direct long-distance rail service between the United Kingdom and Germany. Implementation by individual railway companies is considered extremely difficult. Joint partnerships are therefore crucial.
>Improved connections for travelers between London and Germany with a wider range of services, more comfort and a city-to-city-center connection, thus offering a sustainable alternative to flying.
>Leveraging the expertise and resources of DB and Eurostar for mutual benefit and to provide better solutions for customers. Together, DB and Eurostar will develop potential timetables and examine terminal facilities that facilitate international border and security checks
Cue those pictures of an ICE parked up in St Pancras from yonks ago.

>>2060277
Please no, I don't want even more jeets and pakis here
I wonder if they'll eventually rejoin the EU given how idiotic it has all been
But for the time being we'll just all continue this pathetic democratic decline and sociopolitical incompetence along with economic subversion of democracy through corporatism and oligarchy.
I wish there were more deep sea oceangate-like traps for these subhumans.

File: gcr.png (139.2 KB)

The first 810 is in service:
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dplI0XunqFI

...and the Great Central Railway's 'Reunification' project - rejoining the two halves of the mainline to reconnect the heritage railway to the main network - is 75% funded.
>https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/about/reunification/

File: 1760673804603112.png (64.0 KB)

Also: station usage stats up to March 2025 are out. No surprises the top entries are mostly London stations on the Elizabeth Line - Christ, imagine saying that a decade ago - and here's the 'outside London' entries as well. Gatwick is that busy?!

File: most used by region.png (325.0 KB)

Love how this diagram makes it seem as though East Angular has a tumour, too.

File: 800gbr.png (1.3 MB)

GBR livery. It's bold, unapologetic, and it appears to be making "yuck, Great British Railways, how racist" retards seethe; so I've decided that I like it.

>>2060732
Nah, it's tacky as fuck. Too much going on.
The Union Flag is one of the most iconic country flags out there. They've tried to use it as inspiration but it looks like a 5 year old's doodle on their living room wall.

Doesn't suit the lines either, too angular for a the IET or any train with curves.

3/10, needs improvement.

>>2060792
You're right it's too busy. Why the carriages between the head and tail units also have the same design boggles the mind. I've also seen someone take the light blue off and just have the dark blue red and white and it looks better.

>>2060732
redbull gives you wings

File: iStock-1391929327.png (2.6 MB)

>>2061049
After 1000000 hours in paint I have this as an alternative.

Hell if they pretty much copied the Intercity Swallow livery and changed the black for navy blue with and white doors it would look better

File: zv2jm0xzoyo91 Large.png (1.9 MB)

>>2061064
Call me a janny cause I'm doing it for free

File: 717008_Potters_Bar_030519 Large.png (1.7 MB)

One for the commuter/suburban trains to give some differentiation

>>2060732
Just noticed that it has 'Great British Railways'. next to the double arrows. It's even worse now.

>>2061070
Kek

File: file.png (299.2 KB)

>>2044583
I'd go only if I could shit on the toilet up there.

File: timechange.png (663.5 KB)

reminder: timetables change today

File: nse_networker_1600_01.jpg (316.8 KB)

>>2061120
Looks like NSE

>>2060732
Pedantic note: GBR doesn't exist yet, nobody's employed as Executive In Charge of What the Trains Look Like, and these are just renders on some graphic design spod's laptop.

This is just the GBR concept breaking surface tension with normies, who (as you'd expect) are either indifferent or 'well that's nice I suppose' about it ... there's no doubt in my mind the end results will be quite different, something something HR-speak about engagement, user feedback, and so on.

What's the problem with double-decker trains?

>>2061128
There's no inherent problem with double-deckers, they're a thing elsewhere - the issue is whether working around the inherent drawbacks with double-decker stock is worth it, compared to the alternatives.

like, it's inarguable that adding a second storey to a carriage means it can carry more people than a single-decker - however it doesn't mean that carriage can now carry twice as many people, as you have to give up floor space for a staircase between storeys - a single-decker can use that for a few extra seats, or a luggage rack, or whatever - then there's twiddly operational stuff like needing longer times to load and unload passengers at stations, and having to use a locomotive in lieu of space for passengers because there's now no room for the engines and motors and whatnot to go underneath the carriage floors, ah fuck now we need to rebuild all those Victorian bridges, and so on.

If Eurostar do go for the new 'Celestia' sets seen in >>2056849, and they do end up running between London and the Continent, I reckon they'll pull it off based on the novelty.

('the alternatives' being fiddling with the timetable so you get a more frequent service, thus moving more people per hour - or going with 3+2 seats and putting up overhead wiring, as with commuter stock)

File: railwaysbillprogress.png (43.6 KB)

>>2061125
>Pedantic note: GBR doesn't exist yet
This has been tripping people up for a while. We've already had the 'Public Ownership' bill passed into law (https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3732/) - this was the legislation that basically said 'we're not doing franchises any more, we're going to put the railway into public ownership instead', like a reverse of the 1993 act that killed BR.

What's *now* going through Parliament - the 'Railways Bill' - is the legislation where everyone is going back and forth as to the nitty-gritty details of what that public ownership will actually look like; so basically, putting cards on the table, here's what GBR is going to look like and act like, here's how we're going to fund it, here's what it's going to be committed to by law, etc. You can follow its progress here:

>https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4030

...and there are a handful of factsheets found below, with the original legalese bill and plain-language explanations:

>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/railways-bill

...fares, freight, tickets, devolution, it's all in there. This is the plan as it stands at the moment, so it's not the final set-in-stone legislation - as it goes through Parliament it may well end up being amended in some way before it's voted on.

File: 323239.png (2.0 MB)

>One year to go: Mayor of Greater Manchester reveals step-by-step plan to bring trains into the Bee Network from 2026
>https://news.tfgm.com/press-releases/a2e0db71-60ed-4200-a7d7-a7c18e6558e4/one-year-to-go-mayor-of-greater-manchester-reveals-step-by-step-plan-to-bring-trains-into-the-bee-network-from-2026
>Industry unveils yellow Northern train to promote services joining the Bee Network from December 2026.
>New airport services, station upgrades, improved customer information, and tickets to come in the year ahead.
>17 stations on the first two lines will be refreshed with Bee Network branding and new customer information points to make onward journeys between train, tram, buses and bikes even easier.
>Step-free improvements started at Bryn station in Wigan, with work due to start at Hindley, Reddish North and Swinton in 2026.

The lines to Glossop and Stalybridge will join the Manchester Overground (ah hur hur hur) this time next year.

File: purple and red train.png (2.0 MB)

The new Enterprise trains look nice, as well: based on Stadler's FLIRT platform, trimode (diesel, DC electric, and battery), to be maintained at York Road shed.

>>2061128
I took one in Belgium a couple of months ago, and they aren't wheelchair-friendly at all. My dad isn't in a wheelchair, but he is decrepit as fuck now he's retired, and even he had a tough time on the staircases.

File: 323239_at_Crewe_on_30th_March_2001.jpg (1.3 MB)

>>20611289
You can't fit them anywhere but HS1 (and maybe HS2?). As anon says in >>2061134 it increases dwell times. On long-distance trains with few stops this is ok, but for suburban and commuter trains it adds up. In fact, you can reduce capacity as you cap the maximum frequency of trains possible on the line due to this dwell time increase.

>>2061143
I like the livery, it's a shame they haven't matched the yellow shades on the front and sides. I wonder if this is the start of a return to passenger transport authorities and executives.

File: tram.png (595.9 KB)

>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78vrzpzle2o
>Leeds-Bradford £2.5bn tram plan delayed after government review

Saving you a click:
>To speed up delivery of the project, WYCA had hoped to plan the detail of the route while also submitting the business case for the system to the government, but it has now agreed to separate those two elements of the process.
...so, no surprise, but, still. So it goes.

File: G8ZolOmWwAAkT_w.jpg (209.1 KB)

A little good news, anyway - following up from >>2057741:

>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/17/king-meets-huntingdon-train-attack-heroes-buckingham-palace/
>The King welcomed Samir Zitouni, the railway catering worker who was left in critical condition after confronting the attacker

...and the newly-reopened Northumberland Line seems to be doing well for itself, coming in at about 800,000 passengers using it in its first year, against predictions of around 380,000:

>https://www.northumberlandline.uk/post/almost-a-million-reasons-why-the-northumberland-line-is-a-success

Not Elizabeth Line numbers, but worth shaking people by the lapels and yelling TRAIN GOOD! TRAIN GOOD! TRAIN GOOD!.

>>2043128

File: deltics.png (434.5 KB)

Chris Rea is dead. RIP, Deltic Man :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PW9Ld34ON4

>All aboard for savings: the Great British Rail Sale returns!
>https://www.gov.uk/government/news/all-aboard-for-savings-the-great-british-rail-sale-returns
>Millions of discounted train tickets for half-term activities, weekend getaways and commuting will be up for grabs next week. The week-long Great British Rail Sale, running from 6 to 12 January 2026, will give passengers the chance to save well over 50% on many advance and off-peak tickets.
>The reduced fares can be used to travel on thousands of popular routes between 13 January and 25 March 2026. Nearly all train operators are taking part, with routes spanning the length and breadth of Britain.

I disapprove of the 'all aboard', being an American thing, but I approve of the general gist. I'm therefore neutral. Have a very neutral New Year, everyone.

>>2061528
>it's a shame they haven't matched the yellow shades on the front and sides
It's matching a lot of other yellow things around the city (buses, trams, street furniture, etc.), and those weren't chosen to match the front of any train.
>I wonder if this is the start of a return to passenger transport authorities and executives.
Possibly, though Manchester did negotiate a special deal (and many train routes don't stay in-PTE-region).

File: jA_vI_KCJZgJp6-1.webm (2.3 MB)

Snowploughs out in Scotrail territory this week. (https://xcancel.com/NetworkRailSCOT/status/2008104668329558151)

File: OOC link.png (3.6 MB)

Would linking the Old Oak Common station with the Chiltern Mainline via the New North Mainline be a good idea?
It could potentially be another branch of Crossrail too, potentially out to High Wycombe.

Marylebone is reaching capacity so more Chiltern trains can be run. Crossrail has many trains terminating at Paddington, and there is room for more platforms that Crossrail trains can terminate.

>>2062642
This week when various tocs were pre-emptively cancelling services before the bad weather, people in our union were saying back in the BR days there was a point of pride to get services through in the shit weather.

>>2062999
Why would you bother to link the Chiltern line with anything? It doesn't go anywhere that matters (except for the ends that are linked by better routes).

>>2063017
There's a limit. Even back in the BR days, if stuff got too bad, the trains would stop.
I remember getting home on the last train to get through a snowstorm; the line was later blocked by fallen trees. It was better than the roads, that had been blocked for nearly an hour before that. It was a proper beast of a storm.

>>2063029
t. Beeching

>>2063031
Yeah of course, but the trains were getting cancelled before the weather even got bad. It barely snowed where we are (Hope Valley Line).

>>2063029
Well the UK needs more housing/accommodation and could distribute them near stations along the Chiltern mainline. Plus more capacity between London-Birmingham to help relieve the West Coast Mainline.

I genuinely think that the Chiltern Mainline should receive more investment, especially as it connects the Great Western Mainline to Birmingham and further north via Oxford.

It's an underutilised and under appreciated through route.

https://www.ft.com/content/a8beee6e-2317-4d20-aee0-22457f630c73
HS2 Phase 2 is back on, apparently, but only after NPR.
>Ministers are set to promise a new version of HS2’s cancelled leg between Birmingham and Manchester as part of an overhaul of rail infrastructure in the north.
>The government will announce on Wednesday its much-delayed plans for major new and upgraded east-west rail links across the north of England, in a project known as Northern Powerhouse Rail.
>The plans will include a commitment to a new Birmingham to Manchester line after NPR is delivered, according to two people familiar with the matter.
>Labour has not previously announced plans to replace any northern elements of HS2 cancelled by previous Conservative administrations.
>Ministers instead opted to prioritise the revival of NPR, a separate decade-old plan to connect the cities of northern England from east to west, which had drifted under the last parliament.
>On Wednesday, chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to commit to NPR after months of negotiation with northern mayors.
>The project is expected to take more than a decade, starting with upgrades in Yorkshire, followed by a new Manchester to Liverpool line and further electrification elsewhere in the north.
>After that, the government now intends to build the new line between Birmingham and Manchester.
>Details of the speed or specification of the proposed new line were not immediately clear. The announcement would not include timescales or details on funding, a government official said.
>Labour mayors in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester last year drew up outline proposals for a new line funded through a public-private partnership.

>>2063241
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20dw4yrxnlo
>It has been more than a decade since such a project was first proposed, but Reeves said improvements should be felt by the early 2030s.

>However, parts of the plan that require new construction will not see spades in the ground until after 2030.

Well, of course it's going to take ages if they bury all the spades!

File: file.png (3.8 MB)

Love it when old stuff resurfaces - passenger information posters, old timetables and so on - that reveal how shit the railway was in places. Thank fuck for a) half-hourly, mostly-clockface services, and b) 24-hour notation

File: Screenshot 2026-01-17 213401.png (154.7 KB)

The same timetable for next Monday, by comparison.

File: ooceustbm.png (1.2 MB)

HS2 are launching TBMs from Old Oak Common station towards Euston next week. ETA mid-2027, so hopefully by then someone will have pulled their trousers up and agreed on ... well ... everything about Euston. Mad that Birmingham Curzon Street and Old Oak are well underway, to the point where they can start work on the actual physical station superstructures soon, but, hey ho. It's a start.

>https://www.railwaygazette.com/uk/transport-for-london-looks-to-add-bar-code-readers-to-underground-ticket-gates/70343.article
>UK: Transport for London is looking at options to install bar code readers on its ticket gates. This would enable National Rail tickets for through journeys which include a cross-London transfer by London Underground to be issued electronically.

Fiiiiiiinally.

>>2064189
Who is the retard-of-the-hour when it comes to this Euston shit? HM Treasury? I assume it's civil servants somewhere.

File: G_5O01dXgAE9xva.jpg (226.1 KB)

I understand, rationally, why the rightmost four sets of platforms were taken out of service at Newcastle ... but still, what a shame to see them turned into a car park.

Love that shot, as well. Working buildings on the left, LNER locos in motion, diesel shunters on the right, postwar high-rises in the distance.

Oh, and London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway come under public ownership on Sunday this week; then after that it's Thameslink's turn from the beginning of April.

File: 897interior.png (1.3 MB)

Class 897 - the trains that'll replace the 225 sets on the ECML - interior renders released. They've a slightly stupid name, and of course the usual retards are making face noises at each other about the seats.

>https://www.lner.co.uk/news/the-next-generation-lner-reveals-exciting-new-details-of-upcoming-east-coast/
>The Next Generation: LNER Reveals Exciting New Details of Upcoming East Coast Main Line Trains
>As the UK’s rail industry progresses towards Great British Railways (GBR), the Class 897 trains will be the first new fleet introduced as part of GBR. The trains will be operated under Great British Railways - the new nationalised organisation to run the country's railway - and will be branded as such on their interior and exterior.
>To help them stand apart from the existing Azuma fleet, the new Class 897 trains will be named ‘Serenza’*. The name is a hybrid of ‘serene’ and the Spanish-style suffix ‘-enza’, evoking a feeling of peacefulness and calm, combined with energy, movement, and modernity.
>The new Class 897 trains will be the first long distance trains in the UK to be tri-mode, meaning they are able to run on overhead electric power, alongside diesel engines and batteries when there are no overhead wires. The 10 carriage trains will each have a total of 569 seats across Standard and First Class, alongside wheelchair spaces with companion seating.

File: the luggage huddles in the corner, scared and isolated.png (1.1 MB)

Gold star for going with what appears to be a pretty sizeable bike store, too.

>>2064843
Those seats look comfy enough to me, but Serenza sounds like some disease that African children get.

File: Screenshot_20260210-150238.png (578.0 KB)

I strongly suspect, but cannot prove, that the Azumas' 125mph speed limiter means that they actually cruise around 123-124mph, and if they hit 125mph they ease off the juice a little

File: PXL 20260210 143055449.webm (2.8 MB)

Oh, and - taken while thundering along at 125(ish, as above) miles per hour, in 800109, between Newcastle and Darlington earlier today.

File: PXL 20260210 151213181.webm (3.1 MB)

...and the same, taken while idling in York.

Basically the Azumas are fine, and anybody saying otherwise is either neurospicy or dishonest or both.

Lastly, while I'm thinking about it and it's still fresh: we were stuck in Carlisle for about two hours yesterday afternoon, all northbound trains were stuck due to a broken-down freight train up ahead. We pulled into the station and the news came over the tannoy, along with a blanket 'we're terminating here, if you're going any further then head to the train on Platform <whatever> where they're also stuck for now, but show them your ticket and they'll let you travel, no questions asked, they'll be the first off the mark once it's sorted' announcement.

So we did: and the substitute train staff were absolutely fantastic, checking in over the tannoy every 15 minutes or so with news or 'may as well stretch your legs for a while longer' as needed. Obviously it's a shit situation but, nobody lost their head, nobody died, and by and large things picked themselves up as best as could be expected. I've written both Avanti and TPE a glowing email, so, hopefully the train crews get a pat on the back or something.

Blogposting, but it's nice to point out when things go right when things go wrong.

>>2065452
iirc drivers have directly said "the limiter means you can't go above 124.9mph"

>>2064843
The tri-mode thing's useful. While the main ECML's electrified, north of Edinburgh there's a lot of track that isn't, and it's useful to have the operational capability to use alternate routes (when the main line is blocked by something). Ideally those would be electrified too, but that'll take a very long time; trains don't involve nearly so much hand-wringing as tracks.

>>2065500
I don't expect much different than today's bimodes - obviously it depends where they'll end up being used, but I reckon they'll only change-over to battery power on the way into stations, then switch to either the overhead or the diesel generators once they've left the station again

>>2065735
Maybe. An advantage is they can use regenerative braking without electrification infrastructure to soak it up. Yes, they could dump that energy into a big fat resistor, but that's a waste. Using it to augment the nest batch of acceleration instead would make a ton of operational sense.

File: 225-CIS-team.jpg (363.9 KB)

>First Mark 4 coaches saved for preservation
>https://railuk.com/rail-news/first-mark-4-coaches-saved-for-preservation/
>225 Preservation CIC has announced that it has reached an agreement with Beacon Rail to purchase two Mark 4 Pullman Open coaches for preservation.
>As part of InterCity 225 electric train sets they worked long-distance services out of London King’s Cross until withdrawal in November 2025. They have benefited from continuous investment over their life and are in excellent condition.

Stop! Stop, wait, come back, this is more than the usual 'brainmelted boomer weeping over the Star Trek trains, from back when his penis still worked, being retired'. This next bit's actually interesting:

>The coaches are notable for their unique compartment with pressure ventilation, designed to accommodate patrons who wished to smoke on board.
>Ben Denton-Cardew, managing director of 225 Preservation CIC, said: “Not only were these among the last British Rail standalone inter-operable ‘carriages’ built, but we also believe they are the last specially designed smoking coaches built in Europe.”

...we need a name for nostalgia, but in a bad way - the most annoying person you know was making cracks about how fag smoke doesn't read the signage pointing out the non-smoking parts of cinemas and restaurants, for as long as the 'smoking or non?' parts had been separate. At any rate, that kind of specialty engineering justifies their preservation imo.

File: 1746035163298097.png (3.4 MB)

>https://www.gov.uk/government/news/landmark-deal-paves-way-for-return-of-regular-cross-channel-rail-freight
>British businesses could soon gain direct rail freight links to the continent, as a landmark deal paves the way for the return of regular cross-Channel rail freight.
>The government-backed deal, announced today (25 February 2026), will see Network Rail and its property development company Platform4 take long-term control over the Barking Eurohub site in east London, currently owned by Legal & General (L&G), with plans for around £15 million of investment to transform it into an international logistics hub.
>This investment will help support the return of regular intermodal freight trains, which carry cargo in containers that can be easily transferred across rail, road and sea, through the Channel Tunnel.

I thought they were on about Dollands Moor to begin with. Quite how it'll work is anyone's guess ... but ... good?

File: 1769602007436744.gif (2.5 MB)

>>2066518
I surprised that Channel Tunnel intermodal containers weren't already a thing.

>>2066532
Don't be stupid, that would be useful.

>>2066532
They exist, but per the release they're mainly one-off bulk jobs for single customers, rather than a general-purpose freight operation: what's holding back the latter is mainly a lack of interest, along with more tangible head-scratchers like distribution centres being built for convenient motorway access, rather than a railhead ... so a chicken and egg situation.

This exercise seems to be turning a currently under-used railhead into something that can support an ecosystem of shippers, receivers, and last-mile hauliers - then expanding this to the Midlands, Wales, Scotland and so on.

Hypothetically speaking if we wanted to have continuous high-speed services from Northern England to continental Europe, would it be better to build the link in Central London or as a bypass going through Gatwick and Heathrow, or building both?

>>2067374
>build the link in Central London
Either Old Oak Common or Stratford would have to be expanded in this scenario, no?

There's already a link in Central London, which was going to be used for the Regional Eurostar services that never got off the drawing board. Come down the WCML towards Euston, jump onto the North London Line near Camden, then there's a link onto High Speed One just north of St Pancras. The infrastructure's there, it's everything else that's holding back your direct Manchester to Paris weekend getaway.

Troll answer: you know that overnight ferry they're proposing from Rosyth? That, only with roro train carriages. There's even a railhead you could use! Watch the tourists' pupils dilate as you're shunted off the ship and head onto the Forth Bridge!

File: bafkreieh5rk5nbkhnqdexawfxt7dfwwcze7t6eeou4pxakuadw275gaa3e.png (2.1 MB)

The Bakerloo is 120 years old today, as well. Just FYI.

File: Railway Archives - Great Railway Journeys of the World (1980) - 4 - Michael Palin - Confessions of a Trainspotter (UK) [n6AdjimfTto - 1365x768 - 3m05s].png (1018.2 KB)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6AdjimfTto

Love this shot from the fabled Michael Palin 'trains are good' documentary: Euston's concourse, in the middle of the day, 1980. Practically a ghost town compared to what it's like these days. Love the teeny-tiny departure board, flanked by gigantic billboards, too.

File: hst en mehico.webm (2.6 MB)

How are the HSTs doing in Mexico?

...

>>2043128
Meh

It happened again.
>spend 20min editing station wiki page
>citations, clear prose, not hyper-detailed shit, everything. a masterpiece
>reverted in I shit you not literal seconds. 'cleaning up cruft / WP:NOTAGUIDE'
>check their history: all they do is delete stuff while contributing literally nothing of their own

I hate wikipedia brainmelts so fucking much, it's maddening

>>2068066
>I hate wikipedia brainmelts so fucking much, it's maddening
Not /n/ related, but the pages for most WW2 battles got ruined in the last few years by this shit.

>>2067966
Goddamnit they're gonna end up wrecking all the sets before I can ever get a chance to go ride it. Its such a pain in the ass to get tickets for as well.

>>2068066
Just revert their reversion and start an edit war so one of the ultrajannies has to come get involved.

>>2067966
look how they massacred my boy

>>2068113
you'll cop a ban if you do that, the official dispute resolution method is to call them out on the talk page
then revert if you don't get a response

File: HDwWievXgAAAfnk.jpg (117.0 KB)

It's been confirmed - 22 Class 222s are going from EMR to Scotrail, as replacements for the remaining HSTs. Full interior and engine refurb, phased introduction to service beginning next year.

File: livery.png (516.1 KB)

>>2068314
Lumo will be using 222s as well, for the Euston-Stirling service that launches later this year.

File: IC125.jpg (211.7 KB)

InterCity 225 trains are now running to Newcastle, albeit one or two a day.

Got my driver assessment booked for next week with Southeastern - any current/ex drivers who can give a few tips on the tests? I've gone through the paper materials they give you but can't find much else to practice with

>>2068805
Why is she looking at me like that?

>>2069620
Have you tried asking Rail UK Forums?

>https://www.gov.uk/government/news/better-connected-tap-and-go-travel-across-trains-trams-and-buses-announced-in-governments-new-transport-strategy
>Better Connected: tap-and-go travel across trains, trams and buses announced in government's new transport strategy

Cutting through the treacle a little:
>While local leaders will continue to decide whether to invest in contactless, tap-and-go travel, the government has made it easier than ever by providing back-end technical support and long-term funding to bring it to their towns and cities.

Something I like to see at train stations: football team stickers. Much better to see them on the back of signs and things, rather than some tag scrawled in felt pen or something.

File: Screenshot 2026-04-26 130335.png (1.3 MB)

three things I love, all in one picture: trains, canals, and clean energy

File: 1740388044570899.jpg (15.3 KB)

Will the Bakerloo Line extension ever happen?

>>2071745
Where's the clean energy tho? I only see those bird shredders that spread glass fibers through the air and which will be buried under groceries when they're past their useful life, over which time they'll have produced less energy than it took to build them

>>2071790
I reckon it will. We're firmly in the 'first world democracies cannot build anything' era, which is why TfL are fannying around with buses along the proposed route, and the end result in 2126 will be a jillion times crappier and more expensive than if they just built the thing in the first place ... but it'll happen.

File: bakerloo.jpg (145.9 KB)

>>2071790
Yes, but as with every other project, delayed and well over budget. I reckon they should also re-extend the Bakerloo to take over the line between Queens Park & Watford Junction.
Lioness units can then be transferred over to the WLO.

I also think that the Metropolitan line should be extended from the City to South London. It seems to have the same issue as the Bakerloo. A route whose sole purpose is ferrying people between suburbs north of London to Baker Street or the City. Most of the flows only go in one direction at specific times and there's not as much utilisation for rolling stock.

I think a route via London Bridge, through Camberwell, down to Croydon, terminating at Tattenham Corner and Caterham would work. The Brighton Mainline is bursting at the seams and taking pressure off it around South Croydon and Selhurst would help.

Saying that, the Subsurface lines as a whole are a mess and need work to simplify routes and remove bottlenecks.

I say we fill the entire thing in with concrete and start over

File: p853553453.jpg (174.8 KB)

>Penalty for unauthorised occupation of this seat £50
...which is about £140 in today's prices. Seems a little ... extreme.

File: 12198--Transpennine-route-upgrade-map.jpg (181.6 KB)

Why is there such a focus on big projects rather than a programme of incremental improvements? As the experts say, it's prone to boom and bust cycles that make it more expensive and future investment less likely

Also, with TRU it must be easy to continue the work through Leeds to Selby and Hull? Don't get me started on GWEP. The wires still haven't reached Bristol by either route,.

File: AA22wpkG.png (783.1 KB)

>https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/high-speed-trains-spin-wind-turbines-in-first-uk-trial/ar-AA22wki0
new solar roadways just dropped

File: Turbines-LNER.jpg (582.0 KB)

>>2072757

>>2072704
>with TRU it must be easy to continue the work through Leeds to Selby and Hull?
I'd imagine it was considered thirty years ago when they were electrifying the ECML, and BR probably came to the same conclusion then: the cost/benefit for electrifying thirty-odd miles of track between Selby and Hull, plus seven platforms at Hull, and the associated civils & land take to actually *get* power to the line, approaches 'white elephant' status. Only Hull Trains and LNER's bimodes would be able to use the wires - and it's not like Northern or anybody else is straining at the leash to order new rolling stock these days, for some reason.

I suppose that answers your other question, as well: big projects mean that you can order rolling stock and, while they're on order, start putting up wires for that rolling stock to use: as opposed to fannying about putting up wires when there's no immediate commercial demand and hardly anything able to use the wires right away. Headline in the papers, TRAIN TO NOWHERE: DFT WASTES £500 MILLION, etc.

I suppose doing the 'five whys' thing, any answer ultimately boils down to 'because knobheads keep pulling the INFLATION GO UP geopolitical lever, or if not that, the FUCK UP GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS geopolitical lever.

>>2072762
>Only Hull Trains and LNER's bimodes would be able to use the wires - and it's not like Northern or anybody else is straining at the leash to order new rolling stock these days, for some reason.
Transpennine's 802s are bimode too. Currently they operate electrified on the Liverpool-Manchester and York-Newcastle sections of the network.

File: 6937fefe01467f9089a4f547_fig3-port-power-graph-flywheel-storage.png (61.9 KB)

>>2072757
>>2072758
If they were looking at a decent thing to invest it, they should look at substation/feeder station storage. Could act to capture regenerated electric energy and reduce peak energy usage. Trains are pretty intermittent and power-hungry energy users and this could make a big difference.

Trials in Rotterdam with port cranes (similar high power, intermittent use) has resulted in a 65% reduction in peak grid power demand.

>>2072704
>Why is there such a focus on big projects rather than a programme of incremental improvements?
If a politician offered me a "programme of incremental improvements", I'd tell them to piss off. It's code for doing nothing, and we all know it. Shouldn't small incremental improvements be happening anyway? You might visit a new supermarket to check it out, but you wouldn't visit an existing supermarket because it had new trolleys. Big changes are fun and exciting; small changes are frankly the bare minimum and not newsworthy.

File: d9667165cbeb48f68a1ff02894e12df3.jpg (165.2 KB)

>https://mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/high-tech-hs2-train-depot-and-control-centre-deal-provides-jobs-boost-for-birmingham

...looks like the contract for contruction of the main HS2 rolling stock depot & control centre has been awarded. Progress.

File: 800px-london_overground_as_.png (170.7 KB)

I was looking at the TFL map and realised you can do a loop round the outside of Central London on the Overground changing at Clapham Junction and Highbury & Islington. Clearer on this older map, its the Windrush and Mildmay lines now. Has anybody done this?

File: fusiliers.jpg (144.8 KB)

Darlington station reopens tomorrow, there's been the usual fuss made with these things. This made me laugh though, crossboard link for audio >>>/wsg/6149738

File: entrance.png (1.3 MB)

(no headaches with the redeveloped station - two new platforms, a much bigger concourse, and the entire place looks spic and span. my only personal issue is the WELCOME TO DARLINGTON STATION consultant-speak sign over the entrance, but, whatever.)

File: c2.png (2.8 MB)

Progress continues on HS2 as well: this is Curzon 2 bridge, being prepared to be pushed over the Cross City line in a fortnight's time. It's the tallest bridge on the HS2 network, and once it's in place they'll begin work on the curving viaduct that'll follow the WCML before heading past the Washwood Heath depot and on to the big north-south Delta Junction. Work on Curzon Street station continues in the top half of the image, see the big crane in amongst the piling work.

Four years ago I was posting about the dull, boring stuff like site clearance, ground works to muddy fields and so on - and we're finally finally finally starting to see the kind of physical infrastructure that reminds people that it's here! it's happening! stuff is being built, concrete is being poured and an observer can see where and how it's all kind of coming together.

File: congratulations you are now in Birmingham.png (2.2 MB)

The Birmingham approaches, for reference.

Like Crossrail, there'll be books written about missed opportunities and the myriad other fuckups along the way: but it'll be 'I thought it was a good idea all along, why didn't they build this thirty years ago, let's have more of this' indispensable once people are using the bloody thing.

>>2073481
>Cost estimates and schedule are now £100bn by 2039
The numbers only ever go up. Can we manage a quarter of a trillion and 2050?

>>2073481
how much are the government paying you lmao. it's ok, you can tell us... you are being paid, right?

File: retvrn.jpg (171.5 KB)

>>2073899
Indeed. Still, things would be a little rosier if we could simply go two or three years without any one-in-ten-million-years global events ... let he who has not screamed 'make everything stop' cast the first stone, lol.

...and if there *are* any members of the Train Illuminati present, I want to make it crystal-clear that I'd sell out every single one of my principles in order to be paid for posting things like 'I like to take the train sometimes' and 'this is a picture of a train that I like'. Yep ... that'd be the life.

File: train.png (684.5 KB)

>>2060732
>>2060792
Follow-up: it doesn't look all that bad IMO. There's a valid argument to be had as to whether any text on a livery (other than functional First Class labels etc) is aesthetically good or useful - but as usual I think TRAIN BAD screeching is mostly coming from inferiority-complex-ridden melts who are reflexively ashamed of the flag wherever they see it.

>>2073899
And, I don't know if you've bothered looking into the recent Transport Committee meeting, where the HS2 'reset' was discussed - I wouldn't blame you, it's quite dry - but there were quite a few interesting points raised ... basically on the admin side they've done a Crossrail, banging heads together and squashing management layers.

One example they gave regarding costs was that while they were beginning piling work at Old Oak early in 2022, 'all four of the civils JVs were sourcing rebar from the same Ukrainian manufacturing facility in Mariupol' ... no prizes for guessing how that affected the steel supply chain, and the associated price, just as they were ready to start using vast quantities of the stuff.

Then there's bonkers 'how have they not learned from Railtrack vs. the West Coast Main Line' issues, like how the original plan was for HS2 to use a bespoke signalling system rather than ETCS.

Anyway, the good news is that Euston's getting six platforms to begin with, with room to expand up to nine. Not ideal, but still far better than the Old Oak to Curzon Street shuttle threatened by the Sunak ministry. The reduction in train speed from 220 to 199mph is immaterial, as the civils are locked-in at the original spec - all this means is that they'll be able to test HS2 trains on HS1.

TfL are turning out to be the villains of the latest episode - threatening that they need funding to rebuild the existing Euston so it's not overwhelmed by HS2 passengers. Who knows how that'll pan out though.

File: wisdom.png (2.5 MB)

Bottom line: as usual, the response from Train Internet has been a combination of fury and panic ... but looking past LATEST HS2 FARCE REVEALED bollocks and at the actual data instead, things are looking up. It's being built. You can physically see stuff happening. There'll be a fuss made when the first train rolls off the production line and goes into testing. You'll be on it, one day.

File: Screenshot 2026-05-23 at 14.37.18.png (2.1 MB)

>>2072757
>>2072758
What is the point of this?
It's like hunting elephants to eat the bugs off their backs.

>>2073482
One of those fuckups, like Crossrail, is platform heights. Crossrail put in 1100mm heights which doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it cocks up access outside of the central tunnel. Thanks Chris Grayling. 915mm should be specified, it's far too expensive to change once it's built and running. Rolling stock manufacturers should be able to squeeze more equipment in the roof space if they've gone for UIC GC size trains.

>>2074096
No problem with using the flag, but I'm still in the 'could be better' camp. It's not iconic like the old NSE or Intercity brands. I get that they need to differentiate from British Railways, but just have the double arrows, no need for the lettering.

>>2074098
It's interesting for sure. I get there has been a lot of global events that have affected things directly or indirectly but I don't understand how it's cost such a huge amount. Did nobody learn from other projects how to draw up the contracts and do specifications?

Also, it does bug me how a massive opportunity to get HS1-HS2 continuity was sacrificed because of cost. Pic related should have been the HS1 station built.

File: HI1QyjBXIAAEN1I.jpg (327.2 KB)

The costume stays on.
>b-but th-
The costume stays on.

>>2074106
>Did nobody learn from other projects how to draw up the contracts and do specifications?
well considering all the other massively expensive projects in the UK they'd have to go overseas to learn anything worthwhile

>>2074106
>Did nobody learn from other projects how to draw up the contracts and do specifications?
They did. This whole reset business is about getting the guy who was in charge of un-fucking Crossrail to do the same thing, which he's doing. Still, as noted by the committee, major geopolitical events were also a factor in the cost increases - most prominently the invasion of Ukraine - which not only affected direct costs such as that of steel, and demolished the related supply chains, but also triggered a gigantic rise in inflation, which indirectly affected the cost of everything else as well.

Basically - it sounds barmy to say it - but 'everything costs more than it used to these days' is not a HS2-exclusive thing, and the triggers for the events are somewhat outside the project's reach!

>>2074118
Don't be silly - this is your inferiority complex speaking. Let's not pretend overseas megaprojects are any different, or that they're somehow unaffected by geopolitics, inflation, NIMBYs, or whatever else. Likewise, let's not litigate other projects' woes here.

will they ever use platform 7 at preston
such a waste of platform and track

>>2074135
It's still used for freight sometimes but mostly it's just a backup if there's a platform closure on 5/6 (for whatever reason).

>>2074123
>Don't be silly - this is your inferiority complex speaking. Let's not pretend overseas megaprojects are any different, or that they're somehow unaffected by geopolitics, inflation, NIMBYs, or whatever else
shut the fuck up you can statistically prove that megaprojects in the uk take longer and cost more

>>2074595
And like I said, it's not as though foreign megaprojects are unaffected by geopolitics, inflation, NIMBYs, graft, bid-rigging, and all the other snarl words you can think of. To claim that British projects are somehow special and unique in that regard would be foolish.

File: phones.png (551.5 KB)

Realtime Trains now has an app available in both appstores. Pretty basic, but, useful as always for tracking your train.

>https://blog.realtimetrains.com/2026/05/new-apps-for-ios-and-android-now-available/
>https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/realtime-trains/id6756188537
>https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.realtimetrains.android

>>2074600
>To claim that British projects are somehow special and unique in that regard would be foolish.
no, british projects just have them worse

>>2074689
And like I also said, that's your personal inferiority complex speaking, not objective fact.

File: average railway enthusiasts.png (3.0 MB)

Something vaguely interesting as well: part of platform 5 at Sheffield has been removed and replaced with some sturdy grating, so that you can apparently see and hear the River Sheaf down below. I just hope it doesn't become an open-air pissoir for boozed-up football fans lol.

File: Screenshot From 2026-06-05 01-11-21.png (237.4 KB)

>>2074096
I always get Heidi Alexander mixed up with my wife Heidi Allen (as Google Images agrees, "I probably would"), and I'm always disappointed when I see her.

>>2074653
My work used to host their website. The entire company, or at least everyone I spoke to from there, was all twentysomething zoomers. They looked a bit like the Thunderbirds.

File: 345071litchurchlane.png (3.1 MB)

Ten more Elizabeth Line trains have been ordered: this is the first of those ten to come off the production line at Derby, so it'll be put through testing before joining the rest of the fleet. I believe the plan is for these to cover for older stock while they go in for overhaul, and then ultimately be formed of an Old Oak Common (HS2) -centred stopping service.

Me personally, I reckon they'll supersede what's currently the Heathrow Express service - something like Paddington-OOC-Heathrow - but, that's just vibes talking.

File: 57303.png (2.0 MB)

oh, and: here's one of the new Piccadilly Line trains being hauled to the Old Dalby test track. There'll probably be a fuss made once it goes into service.

File: fnl.png (1.1 MB)

Meanwhile on the complete opposite end of the country, this weekend NR will begin to pour £6million into the Far North Line.

>Improvements will be made at several locations between Evanton, Tain, and Lairg and on sections north of Tain towards Wick and Thurso. They include renewing more than 4km of track, repairs to a railway bridge near Edderton, improving drainage, and maintenance of a level crossing at Rogart.

OK that's good...

>To allow the work to be carried out safely and efficiently, there’ll be no trains between Dingwall and Wick from late on Sunday 7 June until early on Monday 29 June. ScotRail will operate a rail replacement plan during this time, with other public transport options also available.

...oh.

I mean I get it, it's a single track railway in the back end of beyond, so keeping trains running is going to be ... a challenge ... but, still, it's a shame to have to close most of it for a week or three.

File: 800104 at Bedford.png (1.3 MB)

Outbreaks of common sense continue at LNER: this week they've been diverting their 800s onto the Midland Main Line just south of Doncaster, doing diversionary route clearance checks ready for when part of the East Coast route is closed for maintenance later this year. It'll add to journey times, but, beats a rail replacement bus.

File: Tom Scott - Why trains don&#039;t usually crash into each other [omYfLDlt-MA - 1420x799 - 4m24s].png (1.3 MB)

(�/�c��X���D�ͳ�"[�AM��b�:o�3�\�>��![{4���#?����I�H�*>8!���j1�Y�.�X��p���
�O�I��{I����L�G_�e���a��f;/�x�*���;vq����1��� �T脴��[��lH�}�4O��G�f�ۧ ��$�p�\�Si��.X5�}�)�

(�/�c��X��<75178reckedHeaEsr.��oV;̈́��N� �E�I4�$�Z/w\:m��ں���P��pS�ec�Dd�c:/����
�F

(�/�c��Xye�Q�[���'�f�g�vt٩ׯ��'��tJ+�H����D-x��q5���W�MC:�?��fѳ� � t��8���mPA�)&�r�Z��� w�6��5�+�z|��Z(�0���m�`nA���]Տ��4