In message , at 03:52:01
on Tue, 26 Apr 2011, 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.

It's another case of a combination of thread drift and people not
comparing like with like.

The comments about width started off when I observed that one objection
to re-opening an old railway alignment in Nottingham was the loss of a
nature trail. That was countered by an observation that railways take up
less space than a guided bus and therefore the nature trail could
co-exist. Theo has posted a photo of an old trackbed with a single track
preserved railway and a footpath alongside.

Given that we were told that it had "most of the track and stations
still in situ" we must conclude that the poster in question was wanting
to restore a single track railway, but it's a shame it wasn't always
next to what I think was the only remaining platforms:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/histon/histon4.jpg

Yes, a twin track busway with cycle/maintenance path is wider than a
railway, but not wider than a two-track railway and nature trail. As far
as I'm concerned the only place that width matters very much is through
bridge holes.

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.

And very few through[1] cast.iron trains, I expect. (another case of
comparing like with like).

[1] Even reaching Cambridge station requires using a substantial
investment from Network Rail to get from the Science Park, let alone
re-opening south towards the Trumpington P&R.
--
Roland Perry