Trains, Transpennine Express
In Site news on September 1, 2009 at 10:43 am
On my hillwalking blog, I did share, on an occasional basis, some experiences and observations of British and Irish public transport. However, since a posting regarding being crammed into a Transpennine Express train while travelling to and from Edinburgh last year, I have been diverting such content here; I reckoned that it had no place amongst the hill walking stuff. Public transport can attract its share of flak but you have to wonder if it’s overdone. Saying that, it’s all too easy to go off on a rant when things go against you but those pieces not so easy to read afterwards. That’s why I plan to avoid letting off steam on here and include some good news stories too. That’s never to say that criticism will be avoided when it’s due but what I offer should be constructive in tone. Changing the tune towards suggestions for changes for the better has become the feel of such pieces and that’s a trend that I hope to continue. After all, I am a friend of public transport and believe that there are times and places when car use cannot be justified. Some will counter that bus and train services cannot serve every need and it’s an undeniable reality but keeping those situations to a minimum should be something for which we all strive. Towards that end, I’ll be keeping tabs on latest developments of which I hear and letting you know when I spot anything of interest.
130, 27, A34, A537, Alderley Edge, Arriva, Buses, Cheshire, England, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Manchester, Road Works, Traffic, Wilmslow
In Buses, Happenings, Incidents, Observations, Timetables on November 26, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Two nights ago, the A34 was reduced to gridlock after a digger was left in the northbound lane by Bollington Lane. To be fair, it was guarded by temporary traffic lights but that in itself was the cause of havoc. Not only did they back up traffic by themselves but they must have caused trouble with the permanent lights at Monk’s Heath as well as those around where the Alderley Edge bypass is to join the A34. That roundabout should be complete by December 17th though the bypass exit from it will not be operational until 2011. However, both sets of temporary lights stopped everyone in their tracks those few evenings ago with their reduction of passage to one way progress. Thankfully, Birse Civils learned their lessons and the Bollington Lane lights were gone within 24 hours though it might have been better for them to have realised the potential effects beforehand. My guess is that they will not be seen again until after the completion of the roundabout though I do wonder if they have gone to the A537 instead because the 27 (Knutsford-Macclesfield) was heavily delayed tonight. As if all this weren’t there apparently have been another set of temporary lights in Alderley Edge and their acting up has caused its own troubles. All in all, motorists might need to consider avoiding the A34 at rush hour for the next year if these experiences are any sign of what lies ahead. Buses don’t have that luxury so public transport users will have to make do and put the bus tracker to good use.
Crossrail, DART, Dubai, Dublin, England, HS2, Iarnród Éireann, Ireland, Irish Rail, London, Manchester, Middle East, National Rail, Trains, U.S.A., United Kingdom
In News, Trains on November 23, 2009 at 7:21 pm
It seems that rail engineering projects aren’t being stymied by the downturn that seems to be the case in Éire as much as it is in other places. Today saw the announcement of further efforts towards putting the DART Underground in place for Dublin. It should be remembered that the original above ground DART was constructed in the middle of another recession in the early 1980’s so it looks as if history is set to repeat itself. Naturally anyone living above where the tunnels are to be going will be concerned but tunnel construction has happened in Ireland (and Dublin too) before without any above ground consequences so that should give a little reassurance. That there are forward thinking projects like this in progress in a country in public sector borrowing reduction should be some cause for optimism for the future, especially when there’s always the temptation to scale back these very things in the short-term.
The U.K. still retains a more expansionary approach with all of the excitement surrounding HS2. However, that will won’t be in place for a good while so enhancing what we already have might be a better idea. Thankfully, Manchester’s rail congestion is coming to notice and there’s London’s Crossrail and other such schemes in the offing too. With all of this and what is happening in the Middle East (Dubai) and with high-speed rail in the U.S.A., you have to say that railways are seeing something of a renaissance at the moment. Hindsight nearly always is 20-20 vision but it now very much appears that a transport strategy based around private motorised transport only was going to get us so far and we now have the congestion to prove it. Add the threat of global warming (has it been overplayed even if it’s real?) and the need to cut down on carbon footprints and it seems that we live in an interesting age when the benefits of public transport are there for all to see. Let’s hope that it stays that way.
