As you are obviously a fan of diesels and strongly dislike electrics I think I am wasting my time but here goes:-
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Originally Posted by Foxwall
Has electrification of the WCML and ECML acheived any significant improvements ?
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Even allowing for Network Rails upgrading fiasco the train service on the WCML is faster, more frequent and cleaner than it was in steam/diesel days. I don't have much experience of the ECML but I would imagine that the same applies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxwall
The diesel HST provided a quality service on the existing network
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Agreed, but now they are coming to the end of their working lives and the opportunity is there to replace them with something better........Lighter, cleaner, more efficient electrics!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxwall
The trend is to buy into this electrification ideology, but is it really worth it.
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Most major countries in Europe seem to think so. If you want a frequent, fast, efficient service it's the best option. As lines become more congested the superior acceleration of electric trains is the best way to increase line capacity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxwall
Cheaper fares are more important than so called state of the art electric trains.
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I agree that cheaper fares are important but until we change the way our railways are run you are unlikely to get them even if we were to stick with diesel traction. I see that FGW have increased many of their fares today despite being one of the biggest users of HST's.