"Adrian Auer-Hudson" wrote:

Actually Tony, I am from Aylesbury. And I do not think the politicians
here in the US are above criticism. When it comes to railroads, the
word clueless comes to mind.

The word 'system' would be hard to apply to most of the passenger
railroads in the United States.

Nevertheless having grown up near a town (Aylesbury) with fine rail
links both north and south. Said routes having the potential for
development into a fine network, you will understand my disappointment
at the leftovers that Aylesbury has for it rail link today.

This is particularly strange in so far as Aylesbury was part of an area
that was expected to see, and did see, expanded housing and employment
as companies and individual were encouraged to relocate away from
London in the 1960s and 1970s.

Aylesbury never did gain a motorway connection, for which I am
grateful. However, it lost a fine mainline to the north. It lost the
fast service to London. It lost its link to the WCML at Cheddington
and all local service going north. All tat remains are the stopping
DMU services to London.


I really wonder if you are talking about the Aylesbury I know, because
that is where I live.

Aylesbury has superb rail links to London, with fast, modern, clean
trains offering a punctual and reliable service. There are excellent
connections into the London Underground system, with whose services
the Aylesbury service of Chiltern Railways is well coordinated.

There are two routes to London, one via Amersham and the other via
High Wycombe. The latter route offers an easy interchange at Princes
Risborough with express trains to Banbury, Leamington Spa and
Birmingham, which have recently doubled in frequency.

Presumably you would like the little-used rural lines that used to
radiate from Aylesbury to be kept open with large government subsidy,
rather than spending the money on services that people actually want
to use, in very large numbers.

Chiltern Railways is a great success, and enjoys strong local support.

Please don't knock it.

I think your criticism of Aylesbury's excellent rail services is
wholly misplaced, being based on old fashioned sentiment rather than
common sense rooted in reality.