Latest firgures show passengers numbers still going up
- Thread starter rjhowie
- Start date
I'm sure everyone who can use the rails instead of buying gas will give it good thought. I would here, except that the train would have to be used with a bus to get me at my place of work, and the combination of the two fares twice each day becomes more expensive than driving.
Hi Rj,Ed and Everybody.
Those are certainly impressive figures RJ and it makes you wonder how the UK rail system is going to cope with all the increased passenger numbers as it is already very overcrowded on many routes.
Ed on saying that it would is cheaper to use your car as against using rail and bus I think you miss one important point. Huge numbers of commuters now use the rail because they can then work at the same time as they travel using laptops or tablet computers. Therefore the travelling is not "downtime" as it is when you use your car and many companies recognise that fact and are prepared to pay the travelling costs of their employees and also reflect their increased efficiency in their remuneration.
As an example, one of our employees had to travel up to Leicester this week to do a safety audit in a company on behalf of one of our customers. On the way up travelling by rail he was able to setup his audit papers in conjunction with everything the customer wished him to look into. On return he was able to type up his report and place all the audit papers in file order and then transmit that by Wi-Fi or 3G to the office where the staff were able to check everything and transmit it to the customer even before the employee had arrived back.
The foregoing has the advantage that no one had to work late into the evening and a total of six hours that would have been just "downtime" while driving the car was turned into productive working travel time which was highly beneficial to the customer and our business. Granted the cost of the rail fare and the taxi to and from the station was considerably more than it would have cost to drive a car, but that was more than compensated for by the work time gained. The above is just one of the many journeys the three of us who are "out on the road" now usually rail conduct our travel and the way we work.
Bill
posted from the 09:25 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads HST
Those are certainly impressive figures RJ and it makes you wonder how the UK rail system is going to cope with all the increased passenger numbers as it is already very overcrowded on many routes.
Ed on saying that it would is cheaper to use your car as against using rail and bus I think you miss one important point. Huge numbers of commuters now use the rail because they can then work at the same time as they travel using laptops or tablet computers. Therefore the travelling is not "downtime" as it is when you use your car and many companies recognise that fact and are prepared to pay the travelling costs of their employees and also reflect their increased efficiency in their remuneration.
As an example, one of our employees had to travel up to Leicester this week to do a safety audit in a company on behalf of one of our customers. On the way up travelling by rail he was able to setup his audit papers in conjunction with everything the customer wished him to look into. On return he was able to type up his report and place all the audit papers in file order and then transmit that by Wi-Fi or 3G to the office where the staff were able to check everything and transmit it to the customer even before the employee had arrived back.
The foregoing has the advantage that no one had to work late into the evening and a total of six hours that would have been just "downtime" while driving the car was turned into productive working travel time which was highly beneficial to the customer and our business. Granted the cost of the rail fare and the taxi to and from the station was considerably more than it would have cost to drive a car, but that was more than compensated for by the work time gained. The above is just one of the many journeys the three of us who are "out on the road" now usually rail conduct our travel and the way we work.
Bill
posted from the 09:25 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads HST
Hi Ed and everybody
It can still work for hourly paid employees ED, they just book the work on the train as overtime and then claim the rail fare on expenses. Of course you have to get permission from your from your employer and tell him what you will be doing before you book it, but if it is viewed as increased productivity no employer is going to refuse that.
You've got to move with the times Ed, and if you've got to travel as part of your working day you may as well get paid for it (LOL).
Bill
still on the Paddington to Bristol HST, on approach to Swindon.
It is an important point as to how the national rail system will cope and the passenger increases being regular and annually will get to saturation if we are not careful. About two years ago over the Irish Sea in Ulster the NIR's lowest increase in passengers was 17% on one route (!). That is expected to increase with more state-of-the-art DMU's. Another had almost 100%. Unlike the other home countries, here in Scotland we have been more fortunate in re-openings. I also understand that south of the Border, our English cousins are to get longer trains and in places, platforms lengthened.Having one of Europe's most intensive railways is a nice accolade in a sense but it is also causing problems! There was some discussion recently on whether certain stations should have les train stops and such and to concentrate on the more hectic parts.
Hi rj and Everybody
You are so right there RJ with regard to the UK rail system possibly reaching saturation. The foregoing is why I am against projects such as the electrification of the Bristol to London Paddington line together with the huge amount of money that is going to be spent on the HS2 London to Birmingham route. The vast amount of money to be spent on these two projects many rail users feel would be better spent on upgrading the present infrastructure overall rather than headline projects such as the above.
One example would be the line between Bristol Temple Meads and the city of Bath which is part of the London Paddington HST route and also has to be used by all services between Bristol and the south coast east of Dorset. Between Bristol and Bath there are four local commuter stations all of which have their platforms on the mainline and therefore the DMU services between Bristol and Bath inevitably restrict the number of HST services which can use the line.
Therefore, I believe in most people's view rather than electrifying the line for the sole use of the HSTs which will only make fifteen minutes difference on the overall journey between Bristol and London it would be better to spend the money on laying passing loops for the local commuter stations which would then be of benefit both by way of providing extra DMU services for commuters and allowing extra HST services along the route. However, what would be common sense to the ever growing army of regular rail users does not seem to make the same common sense to our rail planners and government ministers.
Still RJ it is nice to be able to debate the success and overuse of the British rail system while other countries still debate bringing back passenger rail with HST services still dim and distant projects on someone's computer plans as others argue in endless debate over who is going to pay.
Dr Beeching wasn't such a bad bloke in leaving us what he did
Bill
Well, I'm off to watch the football with millions of others, I bet our American friends do not realise that the whole of Europe is shutting down every evening at present and relieving ourselves from the European gloom our leaders would wish us to be concentrating on
and throwing care and the Euro currency crisis out the window. (ah the beautiful game, it's good to have a bit of passion):hehe:
You are so right there RJ with regard to the UK rail system possibly reaching saturation. The foregoing is why I am against projects such as the electrification of the Bristol to London Paddington line together with the huge amount of money that is going to be spent on the HS2 London to Birmingham route. The vast amount of money to be spent on these two projects many rail users feel would be better spent on upgrading the present infrastructure overall rather than headline projects such as the above.
One example would be the line between Bristol Temple Meads and the city of Bath which is part of the London Paddington HST route and also has to be used by all services between Bristol and the south coast east of Dorset. Between Bristol and Bath there are four local commuter stations all of which have their platforms on the mainline and therefore the DMU services between Bristol and Bath inevitably restrict the number of HST services which can use the line.
Therefore, I believe in most people's view rather than electrifying the line for the sole use of the HSTs which will only make fifteen minutes difference on the overall journey between Bristol and London it would be better to spend the money on laying passing loops for the local commuter stations which would then be of benefit both by way of providing extra DMU services for commuters and allowing extra HST services along the route. However, what would be common sense to the ever growing army of regular rail users does not seem to make the same common sense to our rail planners and government ministers.
Still RJ it is nice to be able to debate the success and overuse of the British rail system while other countries still debate bringing back passenger rail with HST services still dim and distant projects on someone's computer plans as others argue in endless debate over who is going to pay.
Dr Beeching wasn't such a bad bloke in leaving us what he did
Bill
Well, I'm off to watch the football with millions of others, I bet our American friends do not realise that the whole of Europe is shutting down every evening at present and relieving ourselves from the European gloom our leaders would wish us to be concentrating on
and throwing care and the Euro currency crisis out the window. (ah the beautiful game, it's good to have a bit of passion):hehe:
Last edited:
Remember, NIR only operates in 6 counties, not the 9 which constitutes Ulster. IÉ are responsible for services in 2 of the other 3, Donegal having no rail service at all.
Totally correct there pfx about the number of Counties NIR operates in but an odd point rail-wise. I well know (have a long family association over there) that historically the Province of which there are several on the island, did have 9 Counties originally but it doesn't make it any less Ulster than the 26 Counties which doesn't cover the whole island being Ireland or calling itself that. In essence, I was commenting about Gt Britain in general and the four home countries. However, I would assume (haven't checked yet!) that passenger numbers are up on IE in the South too judging by all the modernisation, re-openings that has gone on - plus the extensions planned for Dublin.
Astonising to think we've got the biggest growth in passenger numbers in UK rail over the last 15 years probably since the 19th Century. I suspect that some of those routes closed by Dr Beeching almost half a century ago could help to provide much needed extra capacity to our overcrowded network.
Paul
Paul
You are so right there Paulsw2 although with caveats.
There were lines that were so under used it was pointless. One of the suburban routes here in Glasgow running along Clydeside on an embankment was utterly devoid of passngers. They went in numbers when trams were electrified as far back as 1900! Lines off it didn't do well either although I am glad to say that Glasgow still has a good rail network. In the recent past I have intimated here that we have had 4 Beeching closures re-opened in Scotland a a fifth now under way from Edinburgh. There is also an argument going on about the closed St. Andrews Line.
I think that back in Beeching's time there was a need to assess the railways but no-one foreseen that new towns would be created (we had a group of them up here) and that populations would move and places extend. Kind of sad because there are places today who would be useful having the railway. Even longer back I said that we had another claim to fame an no-one has yet been able to equate it. That was on the fact that Glasgow and Edinburgh have 4 quite seperate rail lines via different places between them (someone thought I meant 4 services on the same track route but that isn't the case!). All passenger and one that was re-opened was a Becching clousre all those years ago!
ps.
Glasgow (Queen Street) -Edinburgh fast service via Falkirk.
Glasgow (Central) - Edinburgh via Shotts.
Glasgow (Queen Street Low level) - Edinburgh via Bathgate. Actually srats as far west as Helensburgh (Central)
Glasgow (Central- Edinburgh and East Coast via Carstairs
There were lines that were so under used it was pointless. One of the suburban routes here in Glasgow running along Clydeside on an embankment was utterly devoid of passngers. They went in numbers when trams were electrified as far back as 1900! Lines off it didn't do well either although I am glad to say that Glasgow still has a good rail network. In the recent past I have intimated here that we have had 4 Beeching closures re-opened in Scotland a a fifth now under way from Edinburgh. There is also an argument going on about the closed St. Andrews Line.
I think that back in Beeching's time there was a need to assess the railways but no-one foreseen that new towns would be created (we had a group of them up here) and that populations would move and places extend. Kind of sad because there are places today who would be useful having the railway. Even longer back I said that we had another claim to fame an no-one has yet been able to equate it. That was on the fact that Glasgow and Edinburgh have 4 quite seperate rail lines via different places between them (someone thought I meant 4 services on the same track route but that isn't the case!). All passenger and one that was re-opened was a Becching clousre all those years ago!
ps.
Glasgow (Queen Street) -Edinburgh fast service via Falkirk.
Glasgow (Central) - Edinburgh via Shotts.
Glasgow (Queen Street Low level) - Edinburgh via Bathgate. Actually srats as far west as Helensburgh (Central)
Glasgow (Central- Edinburgh and East Coast via Carstairs