James wrote:

David Jackman wrote in message . 252.50...

(James) wrote in
. com:


Andrew P Smith wrote in message
...

In article , James
writes

Well that answers those Coventry whiners who are complaining about
not being able to get to Milton Keynes. I believe the current train
in question is:

Cov 0737
MKC 0812

There's a perfectly good connection in this timetable to replace it:

Cov 0727
Nhn 0803

Nhn 0809
MKC 0825

Makes you wonder why they don't make it a through train with a
six-minute pause at Northampton really...

It's not a perfectly good replacement - it goes 10 mins earlier and
arrives 13 mins later - 23 mins difference!!!!!

That amount of time shouldn't make any real difference. If they really
find it so objectionable, there are two real cities, namely Birmingham
and London, which have far better jobs and far easier train journeys.


Remind me how long it takes to drive from Coventry to Milton Keynes (50
miles, station to station, 57 minutes according to my route planner.
Except of course the journey doesn't actually start at Coventry station or
finish at Milton Keynes station).

One day the railways will learn that losing customers is easy, winning them
back much more difficult.


Okay, so how about getting a couple of Meridians and running them in
VXC's slot between Birmingham and Coventry (divert VXC via Solihull,
swap the 323s on the Coventry line for the 150s on the Walsall Line
and extend them to Leamington), then either direct or via Northampton
to Milton Keynes, where the train can join the Slow Lines and either
run via Bicester Town to Oxford or via Aylesbury to Marylebone?

Via Aylesbury & High Wycombe please! Given the nature of the north-south
road network in Buckinghamshire, a service between High Wycombe,
Aylesbury & Milton Keynes could (if it were quick enough) attract some
car users and would generate its own traffic.

More pie-in-the-sky, but if such a service were run from Wycombe to
Maidenhead instead of London (relaying the Wycombe - Bourne End line),
then there is the possibility of running to Heathrow (using electric
traction from Maidenhead via Crossrail) and thus providing a direct link
from the WCML to Heathrow (not to mention easier access between Thames
Valley employment and Buckinghamshire).

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...
More pie-in-the-sky, but if such a service were run from Wycombe to
Maidenhead instead of London (relaying the Wycombe - Bourne End line),

Few houses in the way now I think. Why was this line shut? Aside from making
Berks-Bucks PT journeys impossible, it makes Bourne End station weird.

--
Everything above is the personal opinion of the author, and nothing to do
with where he works and all that lovely disclaimery stuff.
Posted in his lunch hour too.

Dave Arquati wrote:


More pie-in-the-sky, but if such a service were run from Wycombe to
Maidenhead instead of London (relaying the Wycombe - Bourne End line),
then there is the possibility of running to Heathrow (using electric
traction from Maidenhead via Crossrail) and thus providing a direct link
from the WCML to Heathrow (not to mention easier access between Thames
Valley employment and Buckinghamshire).



Definitely pie-=in-the-sky I'm afraid. Another bit of line that has been
built on.

4973 wrote:
More pie-in-the-sky, but if such a service were run from Wycombe
to Maidenhead instead of London (relaying the Wycombe - Bourne End
line),

Definitely pie-in-the-sky I'm afraid. Another bit of line that
has been built on.

Although as posters to this ng have observed ad infinitum: not a
problem if the proposal were for a motorway: down it comes.
--
Paul Robertson )
Glasgow (remove zzz from above to reply)

Paul Weaver wrote:

"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...

More pie-in-the-sky, but if such a service were run from Wycombe to
Maidenhead instead of London (relaying the Wycombe - Bourne End line),


Few houses in the way now I think. Why was this line shut? Aside from making
Berks-Bucks PT journeys impossible, it makes Bourne End station weird.

According to "History of the Chiltern Line" by John Healy, traffic had
been in decline on the Wycombe - Maidenhead line since the early 60's,
so they introduced DMUs working a reduced Maidenhead - Aylesbury service
and reduced the intermediate stations (Wooburn Green and Loudwater) to
halts. Things didn't improve, so (unusually) BR gave the line another
chance by running a shortened Wycombe - Maidenhead service; it didn't
make much difference, so the Bourne End - Wycombe line was closed on 4th
May 1970 (without consultation) and lifted quickly.

In 1972 the new A404 between Wycombe and western Maidenhead was built,
offering much faster journey times between Wycombe and Maidenhead.
Unfortunately the economic growth of the Thames Valley coupled with ease
of access via the M40 and A404 has led to a massive rise in car
journeys, which is why Handy Cross (M40 J4) and the London Road in
Wycombe (A40 from the town centre eastwards) are so congested.

Public transport between Berks & Bucks centres mainly on the 315 bus
route connecting Wycombe and Bourne End (half-hourly, extending to
Maidenhead hourly). The through journey from Wycombe to Maidenhead takes
a minimum of 46 mins connecting to the train at Bourne End; this doesn't
compare well to a car journey of about 15 minutes via the A404. The bus
is severely hampered by high levels of congestion as it leaves Wycombe
via the London Road.

The High Wycombe Society has been lobbying for the reinstatement of the
Wycombe to Bourne End rail route using Ultra Light Rail, with through
trams between Wycombe and Maidenhead.

http://www.highwycombesociety.org.uk/hblreport.htm

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

On 2 Sep 2004 08:43:34 -0700, (James) wrote:

Okay, so how about getting a couple of Meridians and running them in
VXC's slot between Birmingham and Coventry (divert VXC via Solihull,
swap the 323s on the Coventry line for the 150s on the Walsall Line
and extend them to Leamington), then either direct or via Northampton
to Milton Keynes, where the train can join the Slow Lines and either
run via Bicester Town to Oxford or via Aylesbury to Marylebone?

Or how about the sensible option, which would be to continue calling
Virgin trains at Milton Keynes Central in the morning peak, but making
them a strictly-enforced set-down only (towards London) / pick-up only
(away from London) with the fare from the last proper stop being
charged if anyone boards?

The currently-planned situation is nothing short of ridiculous.

Neil

--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
To e-mail use neil at the above domain

On Thu, 2 Sep 2004, Dave Arquati wrote:

"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...

More pie-in-the-sky, but if such a service were run from Wycombe to
Maidenhead instead of London (relaying the Wycombe - Bourne End line),

The High Wycombe Society has been lobbying for the reinstatement of the
Wycombe to Bourne End rail route using Ultra Light Rail, with through
trams between Wycombe and Maidenhead.

http://www.highwycombesociety.org.uk/hblreport.htm

Interesting scheme. I'd always wondered what that funny little line
through Maidenhead was! Anyway, it seems to me that if it couldn't be
resurrected as heavy rail, then rather than just making High Wycombe -
Bourne End light rail, the whole line down to Maidenhead (and Marlow)
ought to be converted - as it stands, that branch is a joke. The report
doesn't really go into that idea, but i assume that's what they're
thinking - they do say "... the HBL corridor (which could include an
extension to Maidenhead)".

Perhaps i'll start a campaign to reinstate the Wivenhoe to Brightlingsea
line as light rail ...

tom

--
Mathematics is the door and the key to the sciences. -- Roger Bacon

Okay, so how about getting a couple of Meridians and running them in
VXC's slot between Birmingham and Coventry (divert VXC via Solihull,
swap the 323s on the Coventry line for the 150s on the Walsall Line
and extend them to Leamington), then either direct or via Northampton
to Milton Keynes, where the train can join the Slow Lines and either
run via Bicester Town to Oxford or via Aylesbury to Marylebone?

Via Aylesbury & High Wycombe please! Given the nature of the north-south
road network in Buckinghamshire, a service between High Wycombe,
Aylesbury & Milton Keynes could (if it were quick enough) attract some
car users and would generate its own traffic.

More pie-in-the-sky, but if such a service were run from Wycombe to
Maidenhead instead of London (relaying the Wycombe - Bourne End line),
then there is the possibility of running to Heathrow (using electric
traction from Maidenhead via Crossrail) and thus providing a direct link
from the WCML to Heathrow (not to mention easier access between Thames
Valley employment and Buckinghamshire).

Heathrow's probably out, but a Birmingham - Maidenhead service would
sure be useful. Perhaps combined with a second runway at BHX it could
attract people away from Heathrow. I've never managed to spot the
point where the Bourne End line branches off SE of High Wycombe
station. It hasn't been built over has it?

(Neil Williams) wrote in message ...
On 2 Sep 2004 08:43:34 -0700, (James) wrote:

Okay, so how about getting a couple of Meridians and running them in
VXC's slot between Birmingham and Coventry (divert VXC via Solihull,
swap the 323s on the Coventry line for the 150s on the Walsall Line
and extend them to Leamington), then either direct or via Northampton
to Milton Keynes, where the train can join the Slow Lines and either
run via Bicester Town to Oxford or via Aylesbury to Marylebone?

Or how about the sensible option, which would be to continue calling
Virgin trains at Milton Keynes Central in the morning peak, but making
them a strictly-enforced set-down only (towards London) / pick-up only
(away from London) with the fare from the last proper stop being
charged if anyone boards?

The currently-planned situation is nothing short of ridiculous.

Neil

How is that sensible, given Virgin Trains' sparse ticket checks? You'd
end up with no improvement on the current overcrowding. The sensible
decision would be either not to split the Slow Line service at
Northampton, or to institute a new fast service not going to Euston.

In a way it's a pity the 390s weren't built with 3rd Rail shoes - that
way they could have rerouted the Brighton Cross-Country service via
Milton Keynes (so someone would actually use it - the current paths
via Oxford could be diverted to Portsmouth). I guess they could still
use 221s/222s, but it does seem a dreadful waste of good electric
territory.

Tom Anderson wrote:

The High Wycombe Society has been lobbying for the reinstatement of
the Wycombe to Bourne End rail route using Ultra Light Rail, with
through trams between Wycombe and Maidenhead.

http://www.highwycombesociety.org.uk/hblreport.htm

Interesting scheme. I'd always wondered what that funny little line
through Maidenhead was!

There's a long article on Wycombe station and the Maidenhead branch in the
current (Summer 2004) Great Western Railway Journal