I need an urgent answer - is 7 and a half hours too long to spend on a single Railjet? First class, but an aisle seat next to a random passenger.
The alternative is a combination journey including 2 hours on a replacement bus.
What’s got into you?
That’s probably one of the best case scenarios. I’m not sure even that is likely.
I would say it is fine, if used sparingly.
I'm not sure that's what's going through the minds of Reform voters(!), but, indirectly, yes, absolutely. It's really not good for national confidence to constantly cancel things, and, of course, it has economic consequences that people feel. Turning to Reform is understandable, if (very) misguided.
Midland Mainline Electrification (amongst other things) has been paused, and you don't need me to explain how I feel about it.
Almost everything else rail-related in the press release is yet more re-announced stuff that was already happening. Unbelievable.
Yes, there's quite a few! It's a wonder so many have survived, but, then again, a lot of replicas were fitted in the past 25 years. Moor Street certainly didn't look like this in the 80s, it had normal BR signage.
We don't talk about Birmingham Moor Street enough. A beautiful station, wonderfully preserved, and extended with a new set of modern platforms that integrate so perfectly with the existing architecture you'd never guess they weren't original. It CAN be done, and it makes travel vastly more pleasant!
TfL spec interiors are great. I never understood why they don’t simply require them in the contracts as Manchester does.
The double vision curved windscreen, I presume?
Even still, it’s much cheaper in either class than an equivalent journey in GB.
Easily the best international train in the UK - and the tickets are really cheap, even in first!
Don’t the new eCitaros have rear door boarding?
Cardiff (or, well, almost anywhere in the UK, front door only, because there is only one door.
It is technically correct - SWR is the first operator nationalised *under Starmer*.
Anyway, this has little to do with Scotland and Wales (or N. Ireland, for that matter, which never privatised its network in the first place). There are many English operators already under public ownership too.
I mean there are loads of interesting limited edition ones
A shame, I liked the Gold MMCs.
I really liked it…
I don’t think they suck about it, tbh. The Rotterdam and Amsterdam metros are pretty good, and they’re the only cities that need them. The Hague has great tram tunnels, as well.
One of the biggest lies/misconceptions around is that French towns are beautiful and functional, whilst Belgium's are dirty and incompetent. In the main, it's the opposite.
All depends on the country.
Absolutely. The few projects being approved seem to be the “bad” ones, like this and Heathrow expansion (which I do see the rationale for, but it cannot come at the expense of Northern industries and airports, which it appears to be doing).
New Thames road crossing… fine, but I am absolutely fed up with being told that “there’s no money” for even very modest public transport improvements elsewhere in the UK.
The government can talk about being pro-growth and pro-infrastructure, but I’m afraid I don’t care until they actually prove it.
125mph is always fun, even if the train is bouncing around unduly!
My latest video, a sequel to that (very bad) video about rolling stock allocation, is finished!: youtube.com/watch?v=KffE...
Hopefully the 472/474 can rejoin this list soon!
I'm not sure anyone would call this Birmingham's public transport good, to be honest. This is a city that seems to have become allergic to overhead wires on light rail extensions... but at least they're there, I guess.
The new University station in Birmingham is really quite stylish. A much more appropriate and accessible building for such an important stop - though I must say I'm concerned by how quickly the tactile paving is wearing away, and that gap is pretty terrifying!
Congratulations!
