Glasgow-Edinburgh

[rjhowie]

The news reported that the Scottish Government was to call different organisations together to look into the possibility of new super trains running between Glasgow and Edinburgh (the main one from Glasgow Queen Street not the other 3 seperate routes between the 2 cities). This would involved speeds of 180mph and a 30 minute journey. However it went on to say it would away well into the future. kind of amusing in a passing way as they had moaned about the West Coast from London to the north project which would be well into the future too!

Now if only countries could get by without politicians!

 

[masontaylor]

Oh dear, Bobbie!

My immediate reaction to this is very much the same as that to 'darn sarf's' HS2 - that it's just a vanity project dreamed up by those who have neither knowledge of the network nor of the needs of its regular users. Thirty minutes or so off the journey time between our two largest cities might be admirable were the rest of the country up to scratch, but there are more urgent requirements elsewhere which need serious consideration. We still have no airport with a direct rail link, and the reliance on two and three car DMUs on services outwith Strathclydes's electrified division leads to serious overcrowding on far too many services - and not just at peak times.

First priority: new four or five car 'Voyager' type units for Glasgow-Edinburgh services, and four car units with adequate luggage space for the main arterials - Central Belt to Stirling, Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen at the very least. Second priority: direct rail links for Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. There are many other projects needing addressed, but these would have an immediate positive impact on rail travel across the majority of Scotland, rather than just a narrow corridor within the Central Belt.

 

[rjhowie]

So right on what you say there Mason. I would rather see a wider use of money than Glasgow-Edinburgh. I know people will say they are two major cities but as I pointed out here a couple of years back Glasgow to Edinburgh are the only 2 cities in the world to have 4 quite sperate rail routes from each other going between the 2 cities! For those that don't know they are (!) Glasgow (Queen Street) - Edinburgh fast shuttle via Falkirk. (2) Glasgow (Central) - Edinburgh via Shotts. (3) Glasgow (Queen Street - actually from Helensburgh Central then through Queen St Low Level) - Edinburgh. (4) The more irregular Glasgow (Central) - Edinburgh and down East Coast via Carstairs.

There has been some loose pasing suggestions about re-opening St Andrew's line amongst other places and just look at how targets where re-openings have already been broken?! So I don't really see the roughly 48 mile central belt distance as being priority as there are trains every 15 minutes and 30 in the evenings.

By the way in a deviation, I travelled on that beautiful line to Balquidder Station years ago ona TH trip (althoguh the station was a long way from the vlllage!). On the West Highland around the same time a friend was very close to a person who was responsible for a station on it and Iand he stayed with him for odd weekends and I joined them for a day at the station. Great times and all those lines in great surrounds no longer there including that lovely station I remember at Callander. When they were closing the suburban lines via Kelvinbridge and the connecting Kirklee one to Maryhill Central, I travelled on the last day. My friend had told me that Glasgow Central still had LMS tickets to odd places so I bought a First Class wee white return ticket to Crow Rd! The the old LMS (Caly) along the Clyde north bank too before closed.

I cannot wait to get a chance to get on a train to Galashiels if they stay on track time-wise. It might even beat Edinburgh's tram nonsense!