Originally Posted by zoombini (Post 35753223)

I saw a steam train for the ELR in the station t'other day.
The condition of the roof on the carriages was a joke - it looked like an old felt roofed shed that was in bad need of refelting. :(

Shame.
(prob a cost vs funds thing for the volunteers).

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35755466)

Did not George Osborne stand up in parliament and promised 'new and modern' trains to replace the Pacers?.

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35755693)

Meet Britain's longest train - the ballast cleaner.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31010111

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35756732)

Chiltern main line closed by landslip.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2015/...closed-by.html

Originally Posted by 007stuart (Post 35758790)

Borders Railway one step closer to opening

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...tland-31413672

Originally Posted by TheDaddy (Post 35761956)

I see network rails profits are up 39% to over a billion, bit obscene imo, no one minds a company making a profit but milking the public is another thing, especially as the service isn't that great

Originally Posted by Chris (Post 35761968)

How is it obscene? The national rail network is in constant need of maintenance and capacity upgrades. We all pay for a certain amount of that via tax, but it is fair that those who use it pay a greater share.

Network Rail is a not-for-profit operation. The "profit" of which you speak is used to fund capital projects which extend and improve the network. There are no shareholders to take a dividend.

Originally Posted by TheDaddy (Post 35762012)

The profit is used for whatever the company decides and its obscene, 39% increase in profits mean someones getting screwed and as always it'll be passed on to the little people

Originally Posted by Chris (Post 35762026)

No it isn't. Revenue over and above day-to-day spending is reinvested in capital projects to ensure the company meets government performance targets and any other obligations placed on it. It is not free to spend that money on "whatever".

That amount hasn't increased by 39pc by accident. Rail users are deliberately being charged more, and NR is deliberately spending the proceeds on improvements that benefit those rail users. It seems entirely fair to me.

Originally Posted by heero_yuy (Post 35779277)

Sanity prevails, but I hope they don't reschedule it for when I plan to come back from Cornwall.:erm: ( June 4th)

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35779278)

l will arrange that for you old bean.;):D

Originally Posted by heero_yuy (Post 35781456)

Cheers matey. Now if only FGW can keep to a timetable. NOT.

Fortunately the connection at Westbury was even later (20 mins) then the train from Exeter (5 mins) so I didn't miss my booking.

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35823803)

Absolutely stunning.:tu:

Originally Posted by denphone (Post 35823803)

Absolutely stunning.:tu:

Originally Posted by Kymmy (Post 35823793)

It was followed by 3 helicopters and an autogyro :D
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2016/02/7.jpg

Originally Posted by hedgie (Post 35823982)

Agreed, such a shame about the knitting though...

:D

Originally Posted by Ken W (Post 35823998)

Superb photo

Originally Posted by Kymmy (Post 35824000)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35662754

Awww, the poor guy.

Originally Posted by hedgie (Post 35824007)

Having worked in quite a few of the Electrification power control centres and the signalling centres I would use the word modern with caution... ;)

NR are in the middle of a national project to update the electrification control system which will result in a more modern system.

I suppose its all relative though, Class 91's are 1988 vintage as opposed to 1923 ...

Originally Posted by Chris (Post 35824012)

IIRC did BR not increase the spacing between the pylons in order to save money when it electrified the ECML, thereby increasing the risk of cable breakage and limiting the prospects for future high speed services?

Originally Posted by 007stuart (Post 35913495)

If it doesn't affect London then a far as Government (either side) you can be sure that when the cuts come any promises made prior to an election are the first to be broken.

Originally Posted by 007stuart (Post 35913495)

If it doesn't affect London then a far as Government (either side) you can be sure that when the cuts come any promises made prior to an election are the first to be broken.

Originally Posted by Osem (Post 35913500)

Don't fret guys, who needs railways when we'll all be whizzing around in cheap electric vehicles or on bikes soon... :rolleyes:

The money being spent on HS2 ought to be being used to improve the rest of the network IMHO but that's another story...

Originally Posted by

Rail Professional

Figures released today (Monday) by the Rail Delivery Group reveal a boost in the number of new train carriages coming on track by 2021.

Last October Britain’s railway, a partnership of the public and private sector, published its plan to change and improve rail services, committing to delivering 5,700 new carriages by 2021. Today’s figures reveal a further 1,300 carriages will be arriving on Britain’s railway by the early 2020s, bringing the total number to just over 7,000.

New carriages are part of the long-term plan of the partnership railway. In the plan, called In Partnership for Britain’s Prosperity, rail companies commit to improving customer satisfaction to remain the top-rated major railway in Europe. The latest figures show them going even further. The long-term plan will secure almost £85bn of additional economic benefits for Britain.

The new carriages represent an investment of at least £13.8bn by the private sector in rail. This is bolstering public investment in major upgrades to the railway infrastructure which, combined with new carriages, will enable the partnership railway to run more than 6,400 extra services each week by 2021, benefitting all parts of the country.

The partnership railway’s long-term rolling stock strategy, published later this spring, will say that the total number of carriages running on Britain’s railway is estimated to increase from 13,000 to 15,900 – an increase of 22 per cent.

The new carriages will mean the retirement of some of the oldest trains on the network with rolling stock that has more seats, Wifi, power points, improved accessibility, air-conditioning and, in the case of the Caledonian Sleeper, even double en-suite bedrooms.

Pacer trains, dating back to the 1980s, which operate in the north of England will be replaced with 281 new electric and diesel carriages with Wifi, power sockets and digital information screens. On Merseyrail, trains that are almost 40 years old will be replaced with state-of-the-art carriages with space for more people and sliding ramps that allow level boarding at each doorway.

Originally Posted by heero_yuy (Post 35982934)

A lot of money for not much gain IMHO. Whole story on red link above.

Originally Posted by Mr K (Post 36016915)

I thought I spotted a train on time the other day, turned out it was a delayed earlier one...

Northern Rail really is on the brink of collapse, if they aren't delayed they are cancelled because of no driver/guard/train. Strong rumours its about to be renationalised like the East Coast, but don't what that will solve in the short term. No doubt it will be delayed because of the election. Damage has been done over many years.