In message . li
Tom Anderson wrote:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010, Bruce wrote:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:42:00 +0100, "Recliner"
wrote:
"Bruce" wrote in message

On Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:33:21 -0700 (PDT), Mizter T
wrote:
On Aug 11, 11:06 pm, Neil Williams
wrote:

On Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:45:20 +0100, Arthur Figgis
wrote:
If you are at King's Cross, the [well known UK city of] Cambridge
might be quicker to get to by train than parts of Greater London.

I've often made the point that, depending on where you're going to
exactly, a commute to London from Milton Keynes or even Rugby may be
quicker than one from somewhere within the Travelcard zones.

Just don't tell Michael Bell that - he seems to think you can get
from anywhere to anywhere in (Greater) London in less than an hour.

In Ringby, it will only take twenty/ten/five/two minutes.

And now he knows that 30 trains per hour is possible, no doubt this will
be the service frequency on the Ringby Circle Line.

Given that these trains will be double deckers with 3+3 seating,
RingbyRail would have to employ Japanese-style "pushers" on the
platforms to make sure that the passengers don't dawdle when boarding
or alighting from the trains.

Perhaps the trains could be equipped with arrival and departure 'pods'
in which passengers would wait (1) at the stations to board, and
(2) on the trains to alight. The pods could be swapped while the
train speeds through the station using similar principles to the
former Travelling Post Offices when picking up and setting down mail
bags while on the move.

Obviously the speed of the train would need to be reduced to ensure
that passengers' internal organs were not ruptured during the pod
exchange, but there would still be a considerable saving in time
compared to having the trains stop.

Well OBVIOUSLY the solution is that the trains maintain a constant speed
through the stations, but that the pods accelerate and decelerate out of
and into them. For trains travelling at 100 mph, pods changing speed at a
comfortable 1 m/s^2 would take a touch under 45 seconds to go between
moving and stationary in either direction, covering a cubit and a half
less than a kilometre in doing so. So, allow about a mile of podway on
either side of the station, and everyone will enjoy optimum travel time.


You may jest but I found such a suggestion in a 1960s book about German
proposals for a future ultra-high-speed rail service.

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail
Photo galleries at http://graeme-wall.fotopic.net/

Charles Ellson wrote:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:37:56 -0700 (PDT), bob
wrote:

On 12 Aug, 09:26, Bruce wrote:

It will be a very long walk from Thameslink's Blackfriars southern
exit to the London Eye. I doubt that even 1% of tourists would
consider it.

You're right. Walking along a famous river through the centre of a
world famous city

They've dug out the Houndsditch ? That's going to mess up the traffic
a bit, isn't it ?


Houndsditch was by the city walls, not in the centre of the city.
They've dug out the Walbrook.

On Aug 12, 9:15*pm, wrote:

(Paul Corfield) wrote:

God help us if First retain FCC or worse gain the Crossrail
franchise.

I can think of worse. National Express, for example.

That's because you're a Great Northern man, not a Thameslink, er,
victim.

"Bruce" wrote in message
...

It will be a very long walk from Thameslink's Blackfriars southern
exit to the London Eye. I doubt that even 1% of tourists would
consider it.
If you ever happen to be in the area you will see that a lot of them
obviously do. When I'm singing in concerts in the City my parents - well
into their 70s - arrive at Waterloo and will *always* walk along the south
bank to the Millenium Bridge and then across the river to wherever I'm
performing - usually near Mansion House, but occassionally the Barbican. It
takes them about 20 minutes, and is a lot more pleasant thsn the
Underground.


As so often on uk.railway, posters only consider their own personal
situation and seem to lack any ability to give a moment's thought to
what most normal people would want, and do.
Your experience of central London is clearly about 10 years out of date.


The vast majority of tourists would find staying in the thoroughly
seedy Kings Cross area quite repugnant. If anything is going to put
them off returning to London, that's it.
I decided to walk from City Thameslink to Penton St in order to kill a bit
of time recently and was pleasantly surprised at what was on offer in the
area. Pentonville Road is still rather grotty, although you could see that
as adding a certain amount of charm. The York Way/Caledonian Road one way
system has some very attractive streets/shops/bars in and around it. It's
not very far to Angel (on foot or via the Underground) and that is *very*
trendy.

--
DAS

In article
,
(Mizter T) wrote:

On Aug 12, 9:15*pm, wrote:

(Paul Corfield) wrote:

God help us if First retain FCC or worse gain the Crossrail
franchise.

I can think of worse. National Express, for example.

That's because you're a Great Northern man, not a Thameslink, er,
victim.

I thought Thameslink was rather better now (from the TGOC end, not the
works, obviously).

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On Aug 12, 11:25*pm, wrote:

(Mizter T) wrote:

On Aug 12, 9:15*pm, wrote:

(Paul Corfield) wrote:

God help us if First retain FCC or worse gain the Crossrail
franchise.

I can think of worse. National Express, for example.

That's because you're a Great Northern man, not a Thameslink, er,
victim.

I thought Thameslink was rather better now (from the TGOC end, not the
works, obviously).

Er, well I think it recovered back to how bad it used to be after the
(no-) driver crisis eventually ended, but it might be teetering on the
precipice again.

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:38:00 -0700 (PDT), solar penguin
wrote:


Charles Ellson wrote:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:37:56 -0700 (PDT), bob
wrote:

On 12 Aug, 09:26, Bruce wrote:

It will be a very long walk from Thameslink's Blackfriars southern
exit to the London Eye. I doubt that even 1% of tourists would
consider it.

You're right. Walking along a famous river through the centre of a
world famous city

They've dug out the Houndsditch ? That's going to mess up the traffic
a bit, isn't it ?


Houndsditch was by the city walls, not in the centre of the city.

Indeed. Wonkypaedia manages to describe it in a manner which puts
Bishopsgate in the NW of the capital implying that the ditch crosses
it diagonally.

They've dug out the Walbrook.

That will be a relief to the Lord Mayor, the pots must be overflowing
by now. ;-)

In message
solar penguin wrote:


Charles Ellson wrote:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:37:56 -0700 (PDT), bob
wrote:

On 12 Aug, 09:26, Bruce wrote:

It will be a very long walk from Thameslink's Blackfriars southern
exit to the London Eye. I doubt that even 1% of tourists would
consider it.

You're right. Walking along a famous river through the centre of a
world famous city

They've dug out the Houndsditch ? That's going to mess up the traffic
a bit, isn't it ?


Houndsditch was by the city walls, not in the centre of the city.
They've dug out the Walbrook.

Which is the one that crosses Sloane Square station in a pipe, Westbourne?

--
Graeme Wall

This address not read, substitute trains for rail
Transport Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail
Photo galleries at http://graeme-wall.fotopic.net/

In message , Graeme
writes

Which is the one that crosses Sloane Square station in a pipe, Westbourne?

That's the one. It was dammed to form the Serpentine in Hyde Park and
Knightsbridge is named after the bridge that crossed the Westbourne.
--
Paul Terry

In article id,
(Dr J R Stockton) wrote:

In uk.transport.london message
N5adnSsOEN32if7RnZ2dnUVZ7qednZ2d@giganew
s.com, Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:21:47,
posted:

Maybe there are more hotels in Cambridge than Thurso. I don't know.
Where is Cambridge anyway?

It must be very near Kings Cross. ;-)

As little as 45 minutes, in fact.

For those who only want to come from or go to the region of Cambridge
Station; Cambridge itself is significantly further in time.

The original reference was to distance of hotels from King's Cross. If I
was leaving Putney to catch a train at King' Cross, I wouldn't rely on
catching it if I allowed as little as 45 minutes.

--
Colin Rosenstiel