Scottish Infrastructure

[vikingTON]

NB: It's just as well Covid is encouraging many people to WFH as the current rail system is still utterly fucked. Obviously you'd expect Stonehaven to put Aberdeen trains out of commission but literally half of all lines are down on a daily basis right now, including another landslide on the West Highland line today.

[mac.i]

I never really understand the problem on the East side - are there that many services coming in from the east?

There are only two South-bound lines; one line in each tunnel at the East End of Waverley.
These lines need to take services to and from North Berwick, Tweedbank, LNER to London (2 in and out an hour), CrossCountry to Plymouth/ Penzance etc, TransPennine services via the East Coast, and to from both Craigentinny and Millerhill Depots..... So yeah fairly busy although it is the Haymarket side that's busiest; more lines to work with there though.
Not really any scope to add lines either East or West when you look at the physical constraints directly beyond the station in either direction.

[tamthebam]

Talk of airport links makes me think of other GB ones I've been to:

Cardiff was the worst- there was a bus about every two hours which didn't co-ordinate with the Edinburgh flight. You got a taxi into the local village and got a local train into Cardiff.

At the lovely Luton airport you get a train from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway and you still have to get a bus to the airport.

I can't remember if Stansted was on a rail network. I got a bus that took ages to get into London.

Gatwick and Heathrow have pretty decent connections but they might be the exception to other airports down south.

Compare these to CDG, Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam which all have good train services from the airport into the city centre. OK they're major European hubs but there is a comparison to be made.

[peasy23]

Talk of airport links makes me think of other GB ones I've been to:
Cardiff was the worst- there was a bus about every two hours which didn't co-ordinate with the Edinburgh flight. You got a taxi into the local village and got a local train into Cardiff.
At the lovely Luton airport you get a train from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway and you still have to get a bus to the airport.
I can't remember if Stansted was on a rail network. I got a bus that took ages to get into London.
Gatwick and Heathrow have pretty decent connections but they might be the exception to other airports down south.
Compare these to CDG, Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam which all have good train services from the airport into the city centre. OK they're major European hubs but there is a comparison to be made.

Stansted is 45 minutes by train into Liverpool Street. Decent service, think it was about £30 quid for a single ticket last time I was on it, can save a few quid by booking in advance.

[The_Kincardine]

30 minutes ago, tamthebam said:

Talk of airport links makes me think of other GB ones I've been to:

Cardiff was the worst- there was a bus about every two hours which didn't co-ordinate with the Edinburgh flight. You got a taxi into the local village and got a local train into Cardiff.

At the lovely Luton airport you get a train from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway and you still have to get a bus to the airport.

I can't remember if Stansted was on a rail network. I got a bus that took ages to get into London.

Gatwick and Heathrow have pretty decent connections but they might be the exception to other airports down south.

Compare these to CDG, Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam which all have good train services from the airport into the city centre. OK they're major European hubs but there is a comparison to be made.

LHR to Central London is easier than CDG to the centre of Paris.  Also, if you use the Piccadilly Line, it is much cheaper.

Services from central London to the main airports are good.  Even the much derided bus from Luton Parkway is, usually, a very easy transfer.

Comparisons with wee cities such as "Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam" are invidious.

[Sergeant Wilson]

12 hours ago, tamthebam said:

Talk of airport links makes me think of other GB ones I've been to:

Cardiff was the worst- there was a bus about every two hours which didn't co-ordinate with the Edinburgh flight. You got a taxi into the local village and got a local train into Cardiff.

At the lovely Luton airport you get a train from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway and you still have to get a bus to the airport.

I can't remember if Stansted was on a rail network. I got a bus that took ages to get into London.

Gatwick and Heathrow have pretty decent connections but they might be the exception to other airports down south.

Compare these to CDG, Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam which all have good train services from the airport into the city centre. OK they're major European hubs but there is a comparison to be made.

Cardiff is alright, never waited long for a bus there or you can get the shuttle bus to the train station and then in to town.

Exeter was worse, been a couple of times and seen the bus pull away as I exit the terminal. You then need to get a taxi if you've a train to catch, which isn't that expensive to be fair, just annoying.

[The Moonster]

12 hours ago, tamthebam said:

At the lovely Luton airport you get a train from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway and you still have to get a bus to the airport.

Luton is hands down the most depressing place I've had the misfortune of visiting. Made more depressing by the journey you describe here. 

[Jacksgranda]

11 hours ago, The_Kincardine said:

LHR to Central London is easier than CDG to the centre of Paris.  Also, if you use the Piccadilly Line, it is much cheaper.

Services from central London to the main airports are good.  Even the much derided bus from Luton Parkway is, usually, a very easy transfer.

Comparisons with wee cities such as "Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam" are invidious.

That was my experience.

[invergowrie arab]

Belfast international is a corporation bus that stops in the fucking villages nearby

Spoiler

There might be an express bus and I was probably too tight to pay for it.

 

[Detournement]

I was about to say I don't remember any villages but there's two apparently.

George Best is five minutes from the city centre.

[invergowrie arab]

9 minutes ago, Detournement said:

I was about to say I don't remember any villages but there's two apparently.

George Best is five minutes from the city centre.

Yeah but I was going on Ryanair.  Lesson learnt 

[Detournement]

11 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

Yeah but I was going on Ryanair.  Lesson learnt 

I've only been once but it was class. A 25 minute flight from Glasgow with a drinks service and checked in a city centre hotel within 30 minutes of landing. 

Licensing laws are even worse than here though. 

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

Scotland needs a hyperloop, ideal candidate. 

[Shipa]

Not sure the airport link is an exclusively Scottish problem.

It may have changed now, but I remember going to Prague a few years back, there wasn't even a direct bus, you had to change to the metro in some dodgy looking suburb.

That said, when you compare with the likes of Manchester and Newcastle, ours are pretty poor.

[Sergeant Wilson]

4 minutes ago, Shipa said:

Not sure the airport link is an exclusively Scottish problem.

It may have changed now, but I remember going to Prague a few years back, there wasn't even a direct bus, you had to change to the metro in some dodgy looking suburb.

 

I got an uber for about £12.00.

[Shipa]

1 minute ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

I got an uber for about £12.00.

This was pre-Uber days. I could, no doubt, have got a taxi, but I do prefer to use public transport where I can.

[Sergeant Wilson]

1 minute ago, Shipa said:

This was pre-Uber days. I could, no doubt, have got a taxi, but I do prefer to use public transport where I can.

I was there last year and I think it's gotten better. I'm sure there's a direct tram service now. I was too lazy/impatient to use it.

[jamamafegan]

A positive story?

Timber moved by rail for first time in a decade https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-54117185

It’s mad that we aren’t utilising railways more for freight instead of having massive lorry’s trundling up and down the narrow and winding roads north of Inverness. Safer, less busier roads and presumably more environmentally friendly.

Get it all on the back of a train.

[vikingTON]

1 hour ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

I was there last year and I think it's gotten better. I'm sure there's a direct tram service now. I was too lazy/impatient to use it.

I think the nearest metro stop is a bit closer to the airport than it was before but it's still a bus from there to the terminal. Booking.com chucked in a free private hire from the airport to my hostel last year which was an unexpected bonus though it only saved hassle with luggage rather than any time. 

[ajwffc]

1 hour ago, jamamafegan said:

A positive story?

Timber moved by rail for first time in a decade https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-54117185

It’s mad that we aren’t utilising railways more for freight instead of having massive lorry’s trundling up and down the narrow and winding roads north of Inverness. Safer, less busier roads and presumably more environmentally friendly.

Get it all on the back of a train.

As I understand it that is the Trial run for that just finished. Network Rail have plans to put in the signaling/points for a siding for Norbord but it is down to Norbord to build the actual siding(same as Highland  Spring at Blackford)