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On the return journey on the 29th TPE seem to be running via Huddersfield so you could change there, or at Leeds, from a Newcastle-Vic-Liverpool service to a Hull-Pic one, and avoid the awkward Vic-Pic crossing. On the outward trip, without your planned times it's difficult to recommend a route...

There don't appear to be trains Pic-Vic on Sat 25th May - but there's always the tram (£1.70) or if there's time it's walkable in 20 mins or so. TPE are avoiding Huddersfield on that day too, so trains from Victoria run via Todmorden and Dewsbury to Leeds...

A double set works ECS from Central Rivers to form the 0920 Chester-Euston. The early Holyhead-Euston (0732 from Chester) doubles up there with the Wrexham portion.

Not much to do with Branson, 390s were the best Alstom-Fiat could muster on the twisting WCML. 87+Mk3 couldn't give you 390 journey times, and not all WCML trains were Mk3. Just enjoy the rock-solid ride in a 390 at speed and full-tilt - no equal on the network.

Apart from the recently completed Gotthard/Ceneri route, the following routes are having long base tunnels built for at least 250km/h running: - Lötchsberg (completing the existing partly single track tunnel) - Brenner - Semmering/Koralmbahn - Mont d'Ambin (replaces the Fréjus tunnel) That's a...

Starmer's six pledges announced today don't mention rail, or transport, at all. The nearest they get is "stick to tough spending rules" on the economy. Listed at 0901 on the BBC live page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cjmkmp48lvrt So "not a priority" again, then? Understandable considering...

It's above his pay grade. The signature that matters is the Treasury's, assuming DfT lobby hard enough. By the time an order is imminent, there'll be a new set of faces/policies at Westminster. SE being a DOLR TOC possibly simplifies things a bit (all under DfT control).

Updates today May 15 for four TBMs at Bromford and Northolt West. At Bromford (16 days from Apr 29): Mary Ann is at 2280m (+132m), Elizabeth at 120m (+0m). At Northolt West (12 days from May 3): Shushila is at 4995m (+92m), Caroline at 4772m (+212m). So a good spell for Caroline (17m/day), half...

HS2 has a piece on the completion of the west portal (the Birmingham end) of Bromford tunnel, ready for the arrival of the two TBMs in 1-2 years' time. It feeds into a 750m cut and cover tunnel* which has now started construction. So there's not going to be much scenery on the stretch out of...

Lots 1 and 2 of Phase 1, supposedly for future electric TRU services, amount to 121 units. Assuming the TPE procurement of trains for longer distances is separate, how do Northern plan to deploy 121 new trains (3/4-car)? Does it include BEMUs for places like Wigan, Bradford, York and Hull, and...

Although there's the proposed new link between Bradford and Huddersfield to deliver "Bradford-Manchester in 30 minutes". Plus a new through station in Bradford. This plan seems to have very solid DfT support (using diverted HS2 money of course).

What it isn't, strangely, is a TfW Network Rover, which you would think would be easier to market than "Wales plus the Marches". There might be some Tourist Board influence here, who don't want to spend their money promoting someone else's domain. The North Wales ranger ticket is linked to local...

For what it's worth, the SNCF equivalent of NRE's Senior Railcard (Carte Avantage Senior) is €49 annually. And the discount is often just 25%, so not as attractive as our 1/3 off. There's a variable discount on TER services. By contrast, seniors get 50% discount without needing a card in...

Travelled east of Stalybridge today for the first time in a while (to Leeds via Normanton). I expected to see major work going on between Huddersfield and Ravensthorpe, but not what appears to be a lot of renewals going on between Stalybridge and Huddersfield. There seems to be a lot of lineside...

The HS2 alignment into Manchester, and the NPR extension eastwards to Marsden, is still in play while the NPR route is developed from Liverpool to Leeds. The move of Piccadilly HS station underground, desired by Andy Burnham, is still not planned. All that's certain is that the HS2 bill for the...

And an SRA/DfT view, after Virgin proposed additional stock, that "no more money will be thrown at XC" until it is profitable. The only relaxation since, until the recent promise of ex-Avanti Voyagers. was the limited provision of HSTs (already departed). Arriva XC did eventually come close to...

The TfW web site calls the North Wales 1-day ticket a "Rover", but then the map and advice where to buy calls it a "Ranger". (The map's titles say Rover in Welsh and Ranger in English!). This 1-day ticket appears to have no time restrictions, whereas TfW's more expensive Rover tickets are...

How does "e-tickets only" work for journeys involving Merseyrail or LU?

A rapid update on the Northolt East TBMs today, for only 3 days (May 7-10): Emily is at 442m (+95m), Anne at 99m (+9m). So really good progress for Emily.

There's a list of the significant shareholders here (scroll down): https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ALSTOM-4607/company/ All French except the biggest - CDPQ of Canada. GEC had a 50% share of the GEC-Alsthom transportation JV in the 1990s, but sold their share to concentrate on...