GordonS Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 3 hours ago, RiG said: The Deeside line is a pretty popular running, walking and cycling route. not sure how you could accommodate a new line along that route and retain the footpath. I'm assuming that they would want to run any line along the old route as that would be a lot easier to construct. The same had happened to Bathgate-Airdrie, and when they re-opened that line they built a better, more bike-friendly path along the same route. Recently I was looking at some online memorabilia about when Bathgate-Edinburgh re-opened in the 80s. The Tories were boasting about this single-track line with shitty two-car Sprinter trains, running at two per hour, with constant delays and cancellation because if anything went wrong it blocked the whole line. Now we have a dual track electrified services with 8 carriage trains, running 4 per hour along that line between Glasgow and Edinburgh. As for Deeside, I can't see it having the numbers to justify a heavy rail service. But you never know. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiegoDiego Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 Would anyone living in Deeside be seen dead on public transport? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmic Joe Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 2 hours ago, DiegoDiego said: Would anyone living in Deeside be seen dead on public transport? You never know 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 (edited) It probably would have been worthwhile to run suburban services out to Banchory on that line again by the 1990s to alleviate traffic congestion, if it had still been there. The problem is that in the mid-60s Beeching & Co only really saw a future for rail on intercity services and comutes into the largest cities. Many of the closures were justified but they pruned things back further than they should have by not mothballing some of the more marginal closures for possible future reinstatement. Although some of the worst closures have been reversed in a Scottish context, others like Cowdenbeath to Bridge of Earn via Kinross and Glenfarg, Alloa to Dunfermline via Oakley or East Kilbride to Hamilton that happened at various points from the 50s to the 80s can't easily be undone now because the alignments were not protected. The Buchan line from Dyce to Fraserburgh and Peterhead via Maud is one of the few old railway alignments that has been zealously protected for decades by the local council so it may be the last one that's arguably feasible after Levenmouth gets done. Hence why it's in the news a lot. Haddington and Penicuik might be long shot possibilities as well but there are issues with capacity at Waverley. Edit: checked on Google Maps and the possible old alignments to Penicuik are being actively built over so that's probably viewed as a lost cause now in planning terms. Edited September 10, 2021 by LongTimeLurker 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
101 Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 1 minute ago, LongTimeLurker said: Alloa to Dunfermline via Oakley I don't think it would take a huge amount to get it back there is a single time track all the way to longannet just needs connecting to Alloa, doesn't particularly need duelling either as it's not going to be all that busy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 23 minutes ago, 101 said: I don't think it would take a huge amount to get it back there is a single time track all the way to longannet just needs connecting to Alloa, doesn't particularly need duelling either as it's not going to be all that busy. That's a different line from the one I am talking about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_and_Dunfermline_Railway The issue with the Longannet line is that you can't reach Edinburgh from Alloa without a reverse at Dunfermline on the Fife Circle. That plus the less direct route along the coast via Kincardine and Culross means there's no obvious advantage over a route from Alloa to Waverley via Stirling and no new passengers are being catered to in Dunfermline. Fife to Glasgow can be serviced via the Forth Bridge so it's Edinburgh that's the key on this. If the Longannet line made sense for passengers it would have long since happened by now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanius Mullarkey Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 22 hours ago, DiegoDiego said: Would anyone living in Deeside be seen dead 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsforlife Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 8 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said: That's a different line from the one I am talking about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_and_Dunfermline_Railway The issue with the Longannet line is that you can't reach Edinburgh from Alloa without a reverse at Dunfermline on the Fife Circle. That plus the less direct route along the coast via Kincardine and Culross means there's no obvious advantage over a route from Alloa to Waverley via Stirling and no new passengers are being catered to in Dunfermline. Fife to Glasgow can be serviced via the Forth Bridge so it's Edinburgh that's the key on this. If the Longannet line made sense for passengers it would have long since happened by now. Having a dunfermline to alloa link(either via longannet or oakley) isn't really about linking alloa to edinburgh. The main benifits are improving east to west links whilst avoiding edinburgh(where the haymarket tunnel is going to be a continual problem for expansion. Fife to glasgow via edinburgh is a terrible way of doing things. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, parsforlife said: Having a dunfermline to alloa link(either via longannet or oakley) isn't really about linking alloa to edinburgh. The main benifits are improving east to west links whilst avoiding edinburgh(where the haymarket tunnel is going to be a continual problem for expansion. Fife to glasgow via edinburgh is a terrible way of doing things. There are a very limited number of services that already cater to a Fife to Glasgow commute via the Forth rail bridge and a chord after Dalmeny that goes west past Kirkliston to the Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street Line around Winchburgh. That service could be expanded and is much more direct than taking a magical mystery tour via Culross, Kincardine and Stirling. Edited September 10, 2021 by LongTimeLurker 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsforlife Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 6 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: There are a very limited number of services that cater to a Fife to Glasgow commute via the Forth rail bridge and a chord after Dalmeny that goes west past Kirkliston to the Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street Line. That service could be expanded and is much more direct than taking a magical mystery tour via Culross, Kincardine and Stirling. The fife to glasgow route was cancelled, no surprise given it was a pathetic service. Alloa to glasgow is 45 mins by train, you maybe add most 15 mins continuing to dunfermline. Comfortably competing with travel by car. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamamafegan Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 Beeching is a total w**k. We’ve lost so many incredible railway lines from this country - both tourists and commuter routes - because of him. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 (edited) 15 hours ago, parsforlife said: The fife to glasgow route was cancelled, no surprise given it was a pathetic service. Alloa to glasgow is 45 mins by train, you maybe add most 15 mins continuing to dunfermline. Comfortably competing with travel by car. Don't you think it would have happened by now if it was that easy? 15 minutes is optimistic if there are also going to be stops at Clackmannan, Kincardine, the proposed train factory at Longannet, Culross/Valleyfield and Cairneyhill all on a meandering former goods line that wasn't designed with long stretches of straight track and broad curves for passenger express trains unlike the old Oakley route that could also have run onto Waverley with no reverse. My understanding is the experts who have looked at it don't think the travel time to Dunfermline would be competitive enough with express buses over the Kincardine Bridge. Even if more direct services to Glasgow from Fife via Dalmeny and Winchburgh don't get introduced, the long awaited Almond chord (if/when it finally happens) should make it easier for passengers from the Fife Circle to change for Glasgow Queen Street without having to go to Haymarket as some east west services would be redirected up towards Dalmeny and then back down to Winchburgh to make Edinburgh Gateway less of a white elephant than it is now and ease congestion issues on the lines into Haymarket. Edited September 11, 2021 by LongTimeLurker 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurkst Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 On 31/08/2021 at 17:16, Lurkst said: Radio Ulster programme on the fabled fixed link to Ireland... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000z1mj Boris's Bridge dead in a ditch... https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/14/boris-johnson-scotland-northern-ireland-tunnel-plans-axed 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alta-pete Posted September 14, 2021 Share Posted September 14, 2021 The ferries are on their way…. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/two-new-ferries-wont-built-24984468 …from Eastern Europe. Don’t we have a facility in this country adequately capable of knocking them out? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gav-ffc Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 You can take a midnight train going anywhere. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdhafc1874 Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 You can take a midnight train going anywhere.But only if you're a small town girl or were born & raised in South Detroit. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbornbairn Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 1 hour ago, TheScarf said: You can take a midnight train going anywhere. 17 minutes ago, cdhafc1874 said: 1 hour ago, TheScarf said: You can take a midnight train going anywhere. But only if you're a small town girl or were born & raised in South Detroit. FFS Tony, look up! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted September 16, 2021 Share Posted September 16, 2021 I took the train to Stuttgart from Edinburgh 30 years ago. It was pre Channel Tunnel so there was a ferry trip between Dover and Ostend. Talked to a chap on the train between London Victoria and Dover. He gave me a can of Tennents Superlager which is the one and only time I've touched the stuff. Anyway night trains to Edinburgh to Europe sound fun. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 I've been to Frankfurt. Shite 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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