James wrote:

David Jackman wrote in message . 252.50...

(James) wrote in
. com:


Andrew P Smith wrote in message
...

In article , James
writes

Well that answers those Coventry whiners who are complaining about
not being able to get to Milton Keynes. I believe the current train
in question is:

Cov 0737
MKC 0812

There's a perfectly good connection in this timetable to replace it:

Cov 0727
Nhn 0803

Nhn 0809
MKC 0825

Makes you wonder why they don't make it a through train with a
six-minute pause at Northampton really...

It's not a perfectly good replacement - it goes 10 mins earlier and
arrives 13 mins later - 23 mins difference!!!!!

That amount of time shouldn't make any real difference. If they really
find it so objectionable, there are two real cities, namely Birmingham
and London, which have far better jobs and far easier train journeys.


Remind me how long it takes to drive from Coventry to Milton Keynes (50
miles, station to station, 57 minutes according to my route planner.
Except of course the journey doesn't actually start at Coventry station or
finish at Milton Keynes station).

One day the railways will learn that losing customers is easy, winning them
back much more difficult.


Okay, so how about getting a couple of Meridians and running them in
VXC's slot between Birmingham and Coventry (divert VXC via Solihull,
swap the 323s on the Coventry line for the 150s on the Walsall Line
and extend them to Leamington), then either direct or via Northampton
to Milton Keynes, where the train can join the Slow Lines and either
run via Bicester Town to Oxford or via Aylesbury to Marylebone?

Via Aylesbury & High Wycombe please! Given the nature of the north-south
road network in Buckinghamshire, a service between High Wycombe,
Aylesbury & Milton Keynes could (if it were quick enough) attract some
car users and would generate its own traffic.

More pie-in-the-sky, but if such a service were run from Wycombe to
Maidenhead instead of London (relaying the Wycombe - Bourne End line),
then there is the possibility of running to Heathrow (using electric
traction from Maidenhead via Crossrail) and thus providing a direct link
from the WCML to Heathrow (not to mention easier access between Thames
Valley employment and Buckinghamshire).

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London