In article ,
(Theo Markettos) wrote:
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 08:31:25 on Mon,
25 Apr 2011, d remarked:
And 2 busway tracks takes up a shed load more room than even a double
railway line.
Actually not, that's the point - it fits in the same space. Or do
you have some mythical trains that are narrower than a bus, so
they can squeeze through a smaller gap?
Except when it doesn't. For example, Trumpington cutting was a double
track railway in 1951 (to Bedford), but is now single track busway plus
maintenance track.
Roland is overlooking the maintenance track which is what prevents the
busway fitting within the railway alignment. It's being sold as a free
cycleway but it's actually what has cut capacity considerably on the
busway in places.
The other factor overlooked is that trains only require the headroom of
single deck buses. Most buses used in Cambridge are double deck (for
capacity reasons). The Southern section of the guideway is available to
single deck buses only due to the low height of the bridges. On the
Northern section the track below bridges has had to be lowered in order to
accommodate double deckers. Luckily there aren't many bridges there but
there will be few through buses to Addenbrooke's Hospital and Trumpington
from the North because of the limitations.
--
Colin Rosenstiel