On Fri, 22 Feb 2008, John B wrote:

On 22 Feb, 14:36, Mizter T wrote:
There is also a slim possibility that Stratford could be a terminus for
incoming trains from the mainland.

A bit like Ryanair stopping at somewhere other than the obvious airport
IYSWIM...

Still a lot closer to town than 'London' Stansted, Luton, or Gatwick
airports - indeed closer to central London than Heathrow airport.

Is there really a possibility that Stratford could be a terminus
though - I can't see why there would be any need? Because DB, when
they introduce their new mythical London - Berlin express (if only
they would!), wouldn't want to pay the extra to go to St. Pancras?
(Though being serious I can't see that whoever owns the CTRL/HS1 by
then would really offer a discounted rate for stopping short!)

BR once ran a cut-price train up the ECML to Newcastle (or maybe
Edinburgh) that started from Finsbury Park.

Not sure whether the logic there was to avoid taking up paths into
King's Cross, or whether it was just about deterring 'normal' passengers
from taking that train instead of the full-price ones.

The paths reason sounds iffy; what use is freeing up a FP-KX path if the
corresponding path north of FP is occupied? All you could do is run a
KX-FP shuttle. Or KX-FP-Moorgate, i suppose! Ditto Stratford/StP.

Oh well, the railway moves in mysterious ways, its wonders to perform.

Either way, I'd've appreciated such a train when I was living in
Finsbury Park with a gf in Edinburgh, rather than sailing past my house
at 100mph and then getting home 45 minutes later...

How on earth did it take you 45 minutes to get from King's Cross back to
the Centre of the Universe? Was this before the Victoria line was built,
and when the Piccadilly was still clockwork? Oh - or were you getting back
after the last tube, and relying on the delights of the buses? Did you
consider investing in a bicycle? Or is Mizter on the right track when he
intimates that you might have had quite enough riding by that point?

tom

--
I think it would be a good idea -- Mohandas Gandhi, on Western
civilisation