Steam returns to British rails

It’s too easy to whinge about the state of the British railways, particularly when you have to ride them each day, so it’s cheering to read The Observer’s list of amazing facts about High Speed 1, Britain’s first high speed line, which will carry the Eurostar from the capital to the coast.Among the most mind-blowing facts it’s dug up about this £5.8bn project:

Just two minutes after leaving St Pancras, the train enters the beginning of what will be 19 miles of tunnel along the route. First come the two parallel tunnels, divided by a new station at Stratford in east London.These ‘twin bore’ tunnels pass under 2,600 properties, seven miles of surface railway, 12 existing tunnels - including four London Underground stations - and 600 gas, water and sewage pipelines. For most of the way, engineers had to send ahead 10 pumps to remove millions of gallons of water in front of the tunnellers. The misleadingly named Thanet Sands were so hard the stretch wore out six £10m boring machines. Special vents will allow excess pressure to escape from the tunnels so the trains can go at 140mph.

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Why AGV is better than TGV

It’s too easy to whinge about the state of the British railways, particularly when you have to ride them each day, so it’s cheering to read The Observer’s list of amazing facts about High Speed 1, Britain’s first high speed line, which will carry the Eurostar from the capital to the coast.Among the most mind-blowing […]

Season tickets

It’s too easy to whinge about the state of the British railways, particularly when you have to ride them each day, so it’s cheering to read The Observer’s list of amazing facts about High Speed 1, Britain’s first high speed line, which will carry the Eurostar from the capital to the coast.Among the most mind-blowing […]

Possibly the best station in the world

It’s too easy to whinge about the state of the British railways, particularly when you have to ride them each day, so it’s cheering to read The Observer’s list of amazing facts about High Speed 1, Britain’s first high speed line, which will carry the Eurostar from the capital to the coast.Among the most mind-blowing […]

Transport for London Style Guide

Think of the Tube, and the first image that enters your mind is the red and blue circle and bar roundel. It’s used everywhere on the trains, the maps, the tickets, the walls… But that’s just the start of it. Dig around the Transport for London web site and you’ll come across its excellent Station Products Guide PDF, which specifies everything from the platform-end fences that stop you getting electrocuted, to the channels screwed onto the station ceilings to keep the cables out of the way.

Delay repay… automatically

It’s too easy to whinge about the state of the British railways, particularly when you have to ride them each day, so it’s cheering to read The Observer’s list of amazing facts about High Speed 1, Britain’s first high speed line, which will carry the Eurostar from the capital to the coast.Among the most mind-blowing […]

The new St Pancras

It’s too easy to whinge about the state of the British railways, particularly when you have to ride them each day, so it’s cheering to read The Observer’s list of amazing facts about High Speed 1, Britain’s first high speed line, which will carry the Eurostar from the capital to the coast.Among the most mind-blowing […]

Ticketless tickets

Crossrail or cross rail?

Eurostar facts

Higher rail prices = higher rail subsidies

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Railrider is news and comment for the UK commuter. Updated regularly, here's the latest.
Why AGV is better than TGV

French train manufacturing giant Alstom has unveiled what it’s calling the successor to the TGV. The AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse / high-speed railcar) does away with conventional engines at either end, instead moving the driving force to each and every wheel, allowing the AGV to travel faster and seat more passengers in the same amount […]
Season tickets

My poor season ticket. It runs out at the end of the year, and as today is my last day at work I’ve been holding off getting a free replacement.
This happens every year. The cardboard tickets they dole out don’t have the stamina to be taken out of a wallet six times a day (into […]
Possibly the best station in the world

‘Best station in the world’ is an accolade that would cheer any network, but when that station is British and the compliment came from the head of France’s SNCF, it’s high praise indeed. SNCF is considered by many to run the best railway service on the planet.
The station in question is the restored St Pancras […]
Transport for London Style Guide

Think of the Tube, and the first image that enters your mind is the red and blue circle and bar roundel. It’s used everywhere on the trains, the maps, the tickets, the walls… But that’s just the start of it. Dig around the Transport for London web site and you’ll come across its excellent Station Products Guide PDF, which specifies everything from the platform-end fences that stop you getting electrocuted, to the channels screwed onto the station ceilings to keep the cables out of the way.
Delay repay… automatically

Now here’s a neat and potentially profitable idea for commuters. Register your details with TrainDelays.co.uk and they’ll keep track of all the delays to which your regular journey might be subjected.
At the end of each week its busy-beaver staff will send you a text summarising all the delays on your route and make a batch […]
tickets
Checking out the latest developments in ticketing and prices for UK rail users.
Season tickets

My poor season ticket. It runs out at the end of the year, and as today is my last day at work I’ve been holding off getting a free replacement.
This happens every year. The cardboard tickets they dole out don’t have the stamina to be taken out of a wallet six times a day (into […]
Ticketless tickets

Chiltern Railways is rolling out a new phone-based paperless ticketing system. Initially testing with 50 passengers, the company plans to roll it out across its whole network in two months’ time, before possible nationwide use.
Higher rail prices = higher rail subsidies

The total amount paid in fares by rail passengers has doubled since privatisation to more than £5 billion a year. But the total subsidy has risen even faster, reaching £6.3 billion last year, four times what British Rail received in a typical year. (Source: The Times)
If there were every any figures to damn the whole […]
trains
Want to know what's happening to the trains on your line and around the country? Check out the links below.
Steam returns to British rails

Just as France is rolling out the AGV, British enthusiasts are set to put steam back on track as they complete an 18-year project to build Britain’s first new steam train in half a century.
Why AGV is better than TGV

French train manufacturing giant Alstom has unveiled what it’s calling the successor to the TGV. The AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse / high-speed railcar) does away with conventional engines at either end, instead moving the driving force to each and every wheel, allowing the AGV to travel faster and seat more passengers in the same amount […]
Eurostar facts

It’s too easy to whinge about the state of the British railways, particularly when you have to ride them each day, so it’s cheering to read The Observer’s list of amazing facts about High Speed 1, Britain’s first high speed line, which will carry the Eurostar from the capital to the coast.Among the most mind-blowing […]
stations
New stations, old stations, refurbished stations. The latest news from around the country.
Possibly the best station in the world

‘Best station in the world’ is an accolade that would cheer any network, but when that station is British and the compliment came from the head of France’s SNCF, it’s high praise indeed. SNCF is considered by many to run the best railway service on the planet.
The station in question is the restored St Pancras […]
Transport for London Style Guide

Think of the Tube, and the first image that enters your mind is the red and blue circle and bar roundel. It’s used everywhere on the trains, the maps, the tickets, the walls… But that’s just the start of it. Dig around the Transport for London web site and you’ll come across its excellent Station Products Guide PDF, which specifies everything from the platform-end fences that stop you getting electrocuted, to the channels screwed onto the station ceilings to keep the cables out of the way.
The new St Pancras

The Guardian has published a very long piece about the new St Pancras station. Too long for the web, really, and flowery enough to leave you wondering why it wasn’t cut down before being posted online.
Writer Jonathan Glancey is bowled over by it. And so he should be. I’ve been in there myself since the […]