Hypothetical railway lottery win

[Trainfan344]

Pacer from London to Glasgow? yes please!

 

[Clip]

I can imagine that going down well. "Don't you just hate being on a train for 4 hours?" Well now that journey is going to be 3 times longer but on a bus!!

Not just any bus though - a guided bus

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I'd reopen the Leeds New Line, the Spen Valley line and the Holmfirth branch. In fact if we're being totally crazy I'd extend the Holmfirth line through a tunnel under Holme Moss (I understand such a project was planned in the 19th Century but never got off the ground) to a triangular junction with a reopened Woodhead line...

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Nuke Water Orton station from orbit and completely rebuild the station and junction around there so it's not a massive bottleneck.

 

[Simon11]

A new high speed line from my house direct to work.

 

[Trainfan344]

A private railway from my house to London that I can travel on for free.

 

[Essexman]

Extend the Romford - Upminster branch through the LT depot to Cranham.

 

[Deerfold]

Nuke Water Orton station from orbit and completely rebuild the station and junction around there so it's not a massive bottleneck.

You're going to have some wait before that's suitable for passengers to use again after a nuclear explosion...

 

[alexl92]

It's absolutely impossible but I'd love a line that ran from Leeds centre (even if not Leeds City Station) up through Shadwell and East Keswick or Harewood, or Moortown and Alwoodley and Harewood, to Harrogate. There's no physical space for it though!

 

[Deerfold]

It's absolutely impossible but I'd love a line that ran from Leeds centre (even if not Leeds City Station) up through Shadwell and East Keswick or Harewood, or Moortown and Alwoodley and Harewood, to Harrogate. There's no physical space for it though!

Tunnel!

 

[Blindtraveler]

solve the capacity issues presented by Waverley and Haymarket by constructing an undercroft at EDB with new tunnels running under the city and emerging west of the station at HYM for services to run through and not call at haymarket. Prioritty could be given to longer distance workings that dont have to pick up or set down on route. There are plenty of services through HYM to allow pax to connect and if tickets were accepted between the 2 on buses and trams the issue is not major. The undercroft which would be quite deep and have 2 through platforms with the line at the east running to a new stationat portobello before extending along a single track branch via the QMU Campus and rejoining the Mainline near Musselburgh could be used for local services and also through trains from the ECML to Glasgow, Stirling, Fife, Aberdeen and the Highlands. There would also be 2 west facing bays and an east facing one for the locals.

If it was a big win then bus interchanges at many stations with enough turning space for the likes of a triaxol coach providing total flexibilitty would be installed bosting heated wating areas like ones at Dunfermline town and North Berwick which have automatic push button doors and a TVM. The TVM would be upgraded to sell bus tickets, Wifi would be provided as would vending machines for tea, coffee, hot chock, soup, squash, water and biscuits plus a self cleaning modular toilet. This would encourage intigrated transport and get people using it even if interchange times were over half an hour.

Finally clear the GSW for new EMU stock with associated wiring and make it fit for 390s with tilt enabled to use as a diversion and for a daily sheduled service from Kilmarnock and Dumfries down the WCML. You could even wire Ayr to Kilmarnock enabling the service to run from Glasgow via this route.

 

[alexl92]

Tunnel!

I thought that! As long as it was at ground level by the time it reached Shadwell or Alwoodley - the scenery from there is what would make it so good!

 

[gerryuk]

London KK - Peterborough - Nottingham - Sheffield - Manchester - Liverpool (Irish sea tunnel) Dublin - Belfast.

Well it was a Euro Millions win

 

[plarailfan]

Just a comparatively small idea from me - I would re-open the Huddersfield / Lockwood to meltham branch. The last regular passenger train ran way back in 1949, but since that time, Meltham has grown from a village into a small town and employment opportunities have gone down the pan since the brickworks and tractor plants closed in the 1980's.
Commuting is a part of life for the residents and the railway is badly needed, as the roads are exactly the same as they were when the railway closed.
Due to the short Journey, ex London tube stock, or Docklands trains, would be ideal, although they would have to share the track with Pacer units where the Barnsley / Sheffield route connects with the branch, just at the end of Lockwood viaduct.

 

[PeterC]

New freight lines from ports bypassing major concentrations of passenger traffic starting with one from North Thameside followintg the M25 at least as far as the WCML

 

[GNER 373]

A new high speed rail link from GLC - EDB - NCL - YRK - PBO - KGX/SPX and link with Eurotunnel to Europe bringing ICE/TGV/E*/AGV compatibility and running and also develop the 'Mercury Train' concept as the main traction for this line and have the UK be leaders in railway innovation and infrastructure once more.

I'd also buy a Class 91 with Mark IV stock, the Class 89-89001, a Deltic, 'Bittern' A4 and also the 'Flying Scotsman' and finally fix it to running standards to use them all on specialist RailTours on the ECML along with a state of the art railway maintenance facility built on Tyne Yard to house my 'collection' along with a railway themed amusement park and pub/restaurant.

I'd also completely replace the whole Tyne and Wear Metro system including the much talked about rolling stock and line extensions via washington/team valley etc.

Not much then haha

 

[Trainfan344]

"A railway themed amusement park" I had no idea how much I wanted this till now.

 

[GNER 373]

"A railway themed amusement park" I had no idea how much I wanted this till now.

Believe it or not it's not as daft as it sounds. I have plans actually drawn up and I'm being pushed by some 'friends' of mine to submit my ideas to local council and potential investors. It was just a daft idea of mine but some think it has legs!

We'll see!

 

[Trainfan344]

If only there were a like or thanks button on here.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

A like button is needed. I would go to this themepark. As will everyone who goed to the countless rail museums around the UK.

 

[GNER 373]

That's my thinking. There's nothing really round this area that caters for Rail fans, probably NRM at York or NYMR as 'big' attractions. I live close to Beamish and Tanfield Railway which are great but I'd expect the area from which the Grandfather of the railways grew up to celebrate railways a bit more!

 

[Robertj21a]

Create a London-wide tramway system to eliminate the bus network.

 

[ThePannier]

That's my thinking. There's nothing really round this area that caters for Rail fans, probably NRM at York or NYMR as 'big' attractions. I live close to Beamish and Tanfield Railway which are great but I'd expect the area from which the Grandfather of the railways grew up to celebrate railways a bit more!

I also live in the North East, GNER 373. I must say I am quite disappointed in how few lines were preserved during the big movement all those years ago. My grandad, who died back in March, worked at Pelton Fell and Kibblesworth pits during his lifetime.

Beamish & Tanfield are very enjoyable days out, but the latter is very restricted in terms of development, isn't it?

Back on topic, I would like to either look into the possibility of purchasing lots of land to 'resurrect' another old mining branch to put the North East further out there, but in terms of the modern day system I would like to see more services stop at Chester-Le-Street! :P - one every 2 hours (TPE 185s!) in each direction makes Durham the station I use!

 

[GNER 373]

Wow! What a small world. I actually live in Kibblesworth now and have done most of my life, my own grandfather working at the pit, maybe PM me with your grandfathers name I'll see if mine knew him, sorry to hear he's passed.

Yeah I love both Tanfield and Beamish, but I agree Tanfield is in need of a huge push in terms of real advertising and finance to open it out and catch up with other preserved lines. I'm surprised it's not a bigger place being the ' Worlds Oldest Railway'. I'd love to give up some time and help out there myself I just don't have the chance.

 

[ThePannier]

Wow! What a small world. I actually live in Kibblesworth now and have done most of my life, my own grandfather working at the pit, maybe PM me with your grandfathers name I'll see if mine knew him, sorry to hear he's passed.

Yeah I love both Tanfield and Beamish, but I agree Tanfield is in need of a huge push in terms of real advertising and finance to open it out and catch up with other preserved lines. I'm surprised it's not a bigger place being the ' Worlds Oldest Railway'. I'd love to give up some time and help out there myself I just don't have the chance.

Thanks very much, just sent the PM!

I'd love to volunteer at Tanfield too, but school is constantly putting more sandbags on my shoulders, if you know what I mean!

 

[317666]

Replace a whole load of bridges/platforms/tunnels/whatever else, and order a load of these: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r1-JFkprybo/UerE8WRryFI/AAAAAAAACug/QvoemXUGPZE/s1600/M6_fdd_300411.JPG with suitable locos, to tackle overcrowding properly!

Oh, and also give Cambridge a metro system