New rail link for Maidenhead to High Wycombe

[Electric train]

In this weeks http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news/article-12337-comment-new-rail-link-for-maidenhead-to-high-wycombe/ Maidenhead Advertiser "Plans for a rail connection linking Maidenhead to High Wycombe have been revealed by the Royal Borough" in the article in the paper the Councilor reckons it could be up and running in 4 years  They have been talking to the High Wycombe Society who have been a long campaigners for the reopening.

Be interesting to see if this has any legs to run with, the biggest stumbling block will be £££

[Btline]

I take it they mean, the project will be up and running in 4 years.

This country cannot consult, plan, construct a railway in 4 years!

A question: won't more platform and track space be needed at High Wycombe?

[bignosemac]

I take it they mean, the project will be up and running in 4 years.

This country cannot consult, plan, construct a railway in 4 years!

A question: won't more platform and track space be needed at High Wycombe?

Not withstanding reinstating the rail line over a busy main road at the Bourne End 'terminus'

[eightf48544]

It's interesting it's a couple of Tory councillors proposing the scheme.

Note also it's said it will be a light rail scheme like the DLR!

Now one of the main reasons for reinstaing the link in my opinion is to provide a South to North heavy rail link in Bucks. ie Slough/Maidenhead to Milton Keynes via Wycombe Aylesbury Blectchley with connections to proposed  East West line.

Also the Bourne End and Cookham travellers like their through trains to Padd.

Now hears a challenge, what about tram trains ie dual voltage trams 25Kv/600Kv this would give the possibility of street running in Wycombe and possibly Bourne End. There's no reason why they couldn't serve Padd as well. After all the Karlseruhe trams serve Heilbronn over heavy rail and a bit further East.

But as I said over the Bradford North curve DaFT lacks vision.

[Btline]

In my opinion it should be a standard heavy line.

How many lines have we lost thanks to the "light rail brigade".

The Midlands Metro (trams on the ex GWR route from B'ham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton) ended any hope of relieving the pressure on the current "Midland" two track bottleneck.

They're at it again: if line 2 ever gets built, it will destroy a useful B'ham bypass line, preventing any Worcester - Stourbridge - Dudley - Walsall journeys that could take the pressure off New Street and the lines leading into it.

As has been said above, building a heavy line allows new journey opportunities, tying in with proposed extensions to Chiltern's network and the East West line.

Tramlines are fine for inner cities. But are SLOW on longer routes.

I hope they see sense...

[bignosemac]

How many lines have we lost thanks to the "light rail brigade".

I'm assuming this was a question. My answer is; Dunno, but you only provide one example. Are there lots more? And what exactly is wrong with light rail/trams? All the UKs current tram systems are sucessful. I say let's have more.

[eightf48544]

How many lines have we lost thanks to the "light rail brigade".

Tramlines are fine for inner cities. But are SLOW on longer routes.

I'm assuming this was a question. My answer is; Dunno, but you only provide one example. Are there lots more? And what exactly is wrong with light rail/trams? All the UKs current tram systems are sucessful. I say let's have more.

West Midlands as mentioned, Which is why the Wrexham and Shrewsbury trains take such circuituous routes across Birmingham.

Manchester Metro the Bury and Altringham branches and now part of the Oldham line and possibly Stockport Tiviot Dale.

Nottingham line shares with Robin Hood line to the North and makes that single track.

Croydon uses Wimbledon - West Croydon and part of the Addiscombe branch and the link to Selsdon.

Tyne and Wear Metro uses old heavy rail lines as does the DLR.

Sheffield is separate which means that it can't link with the Penistone Tram trains at Meadowhall. Which defeats the objective of tram trains which is to share with heavy rail an extension of an urban street tramway.

I would disagree that trams are slow it's quite exciting plunging into the old tunnell on the Selsdon line at 50 mph. With relativly short distances between stops, quarter to half mile, then a tram can hold it's own against a heavy rail EMU.

Full parallel in a Tatra down the middle of a mainroad in Dresden is quite interesting.

[Btline]

I'm assuming this was a question. My answer is; Dunno, but you only provide one example. Are there lots more? And what exactly is wrong with light rail/trams? All the UKs current tram systems are sucessful. I say let's have more.

Thanks to the Midland Metro:

*W&S have to take circular route;

*Chiltern can't serve West Bromwich, Wednesbury, and Wolverhampton (and beyond);

*No chance of LM Shrewsbuy trains being switched to Snow Hill;

*No chance of ATW Aber and Chester trains being switched to Snow Hill.

And the Midland Metro has not been successful. (look at Wiki page) Why? Because people take the quicker 15 minute journey between the cities, or catch the 2 tph EMUs from the existing heavy rail stations. (with their free parking) The tram takes over twice as long.

A heavy rail Wycombe link would provide faster journeys than a "tram train".

[Electric train]

Of course I would like to see heavy rail but this is expensive we struggle in the UK with dual light heavy systems therefore in my view the most practical rail system between Marlow via Bourne End and Wycome would be a light rail tram system. Bourne platforms rebuilt for a across platform inter change.  This would allow a half hourly Maidenhead Bourne End or better service.  The tram system could take advantage of what remains of the alignment between Bourne End and High Wycombe but also allowing street running where this is not possible.

[autotank]

This is a great idea, but I don't think the council realise how expensive it would be.

I was at Bourne End last night and some serious demolition work would need to be done to get the line 200m beyond the current buffers onto the old formation. Some serious work would also be required to replace the bridge over the A40 going into Wycombe. Also by the time any line was complete, Crossrail will be at Maidenhead making paths east towards London rarer then hen's teeth. Also more services will be using the Chiltern line (half hourly Oxford serives) so there wouldn't be the capacity to run through trains as mentioned earlier. If this was to happen light rail would be a sensible comprimise I believe.

[Electric train]

In this weeks Maidenhead Advertiser an article ( I can not find an online version) states that the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead council are to write to the Dept. for Transport and ATOC about the potential for reestablishing the link between Maidenhead and High Wycombe.

[chris from nailsea]

I think this may be what you were looking for, Electric train?

Borough lobbies government to support rail link reinstatement

The Royal Borough is to lobby central Government to support the idea for a rail link between Maidenhead and High Wycombe.
 
The link was closed more than 40 years ago, and the council now needs to come up with a business case for the idea.

If relaunched, the link would run from the station in Maidenhead, through Cookham, Bourne End, Wooburn Green and Loudwater, with services every 10 minutes.

Read more in this week's Advertiser.

C.