On Mon, 28 Jan 2008, Paul Weaver wrote:

On Jan 28, 3:18 pm, Mr Thant
wrote:
On 28 Jan, 14:41, Tom Anderson wrote:

It seems entirely possible that the plan is a non-starter, but i think
it's fair enough to propose it in the hope that a better-resourced
interested party, like the council, might take a harder look at it.

Yes, maybe I was a bit harsh on it, but I wouldn't have been if it was
presented in these terms. If it'd been "we think the development
should include light rail, and here's an idea for a possible route",
that'd be one thing, but they presented it as "this particular route
must be built", and once you do that, you've got to back it up with
numbers, otherwise it's just fantasy.

Particularly the 'phase 1' bit that links the Northern line station to the
Thameslink station at Brent Cross, which isn't that grandiose (although,
as was pointed out, does involve a rather high ratio of depot to track).

Airport style people movers might be the answer.

Be interesting to see how ULTRA goes at Terminal 5,

Indeed. I have a hard time seeing how it could be better in cost/benefit
terms than a more traditional bit of light rail; the cost per passenger of
the pods must be greater, surely? As you say, we'll see.

There are small areas like Brent Cross that could benefit from a
lightweight system like that (Euston, Kings Cross, St Pancras --
Thameslink end, or Lancaster Gate/Paddington/Marylebone/Baker
Street/Marble Arch, or something involving City Thameslink, Bank and
Charing Cross)

Good points. I note that the Euston Road axis is sort of part of the
Cross-River Tram proposal, and the Oxford Street tram idea would go to
Marble Arch, if not Paddington. I'm not aware of a plan for trams to City
Thameslink (maybe Blackfriars instead?) or Charing Cross, but that would
be an excellent transverse link between the Cross-River Tram and City Tram
schemes.

Anyway, the thing to do would be to secure alignments that could be used
to build trams or light rail, and then build the cheapest kind of railway
on them to begin with. If it reaches the limits of the capacity it can
deliver, it could be upgraded to something heavier.


tom

--
The future will accost us with boob-slapping ferocity. -- H. G. Wells