Wednesday 27 June 2012

retards - the road lobby fighting back?

Police condemn railway arson attack

Monday, May 28, 2012

AN anarchist group has claimed responsibility for an arson attack on railway signals that caused chaos on Bristol's trains.

Police have condemned the vandalism as "completely irresponsible" and say it could have put passengers' and rail workers' lives at risk.

Parson Street station

A message claiming to be from the "Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI) – May 22nd Group" was posted on an activist website saying its members had set fire to cables near Patchway station and Parson Street station in Bedminster.

The attacks caused major disruption to train services on Tuesday, with passengers facing delays and replacement bus services laid on.

Describing the arson as a "guerrilla attack" in a statement justifying its actions, the group said it had intended to disrupt the travel of people working for the Ministry of Defence and "military industry companies" in Filton, along with the "corportate (sic) hub of Bristol".

The group's statement described how its members had damaged cables by lifting the covers of cabling trenches and burning the signalling cables below.

The group went on to claim that: "Finance, judicial, communications, military and transport infastructure (sic) will continue to be targets of the new generation of urban low-intensity warfare." The statement ended by calling for "civil war" and riots.

British Transport Police confirmed that the signalling cable appeared to have been set alight and called on anyone who had seen suspicious activity near the line near Shepton Walk in Bedminster at about 4am, or near Patchway station on the same morning, to contact them.

BTP Detective Chief Inspector John Pyke said: "A BTP investigation is under way to establish who is responsible for these attacks, which we believe were deliberate and could have put innocent passengers and rail staff at serious risk.

"This was completely irresponsible behaviour and we will do everything possible to trace those responsible and bring them to justice.

"We are aware of a statement posted on the internet in which a group is claiming responsibility for these incidents.

"At the moment, this is one of a number of lines of inquiry officers are investigating."

The vandal attack was also criticised by other users of the activist website, with one describing them as "clueless pseudo-militants" and "muppets".

Another said: "In a time when we are trying to encourage people out of their cars and onto public transport it only takes a few such incidents to significantly discourage people from using the trains."

Anyone with information about the attacks should call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Perhaps it's this sort of idiocy we're going to see in the future as roads begin to die - with desperate lunatics lashing out at what they see as 'easy' targets? This has NOTHING to do with anarchy and everything to do with a few rich-kid retards looking for cheap excitement. Don't these mugs realise that they will rely on the railways in the future?

Friday 22 June 2012

light relief!

Photo: ET3.

Evacuated Tube Transport could see round the world travel in 6 hours

Designers behind the Evacuated Tube Transport (ET3) system say people could travel around the world in less than six hours through a network of elevated tubes.

The system could see ‘car sized passenger capsules travel in 1.5m diameter tubes on frictionless maglev’.

Air is ‘permanently removed from the two-way tubes that are built along a travel route. Airlocks at stations allow transfer of capsules without admitting air’.

Linear electric motors accelerate the capsules, which then coast through the vacuum for the remainder of the trip ‘using no additional power’. Most of the energy is regenerated as the capsules slow down, the designers said.

The pressurised vehicles are able to accommodate up to half a tonne of cargo or up to 6 passengers.

ET3 ‘can provide 50 times more transportation per kWh than electric cars or trains’, according to ET3′s creators.

Speed in initial ET3 systems would be 600km/h (370 mph) for in-state trips, and could be developed to 6,500 km/h (4,000 mph) for international travel that ‘will allow passenger or cargo travel from New York to Beijing in 2 hours’.

Designers said ET3 can be built for 1/10th the cost of high speed rail, or 1/4th the cost of a motorway.

... except of course those figures are meaningless. The ONLY cost that will be considered in future is the ENERGY cost and I suspect a system like this would be extremely energy expensive to build, maintain and fuel.

This really was an idea for the 50s and 60s and has absolutely no place in the real future that is just around the corner. A real future of constantly falling energy, no economic growth, an end to globalisation, and holidays at home. A transport future of railways (slow railways, conserving energy, using wood-burning steam and/or electricity), trams and ULR systems (using a mix of renewables and nuclear fuel), horses and carts, bicycles, walking, trolleybuses and perhaps a few short-range electric vehicles for freight traffic. A world where most people work from home or very locally and very rarely, if ever, interact with or travel abroad.

These concept ideas are only a bit of fun, they don't really offer us in 2012 anything, but fifty years ago perhaps were more relevant, when we weren't fully aware of the extremely transient nature of the oil economy.

Wednesday 20 June 2012

stating the obvious!

Plans for expansion of Cheltenham railway still on cards

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Gloucestershire Echo

WORK on a large housing development in Cheltenham will not put the brakes on hopes to restore a second railway line through the town.

Changes have to be made to the Honeybourne Line embankment as part of the Midwinter development.

The steam train that travels to Cheltenham Racecourse could still one day come into the heart of the town

But it will still be kept strong enough so it could one day bear the weight of a railway line.

It means that the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway line could be extended into the heart of Cheltenham to link up with Cheltenham Spa.

GWR spokesman Ian Crowder said: "Since we took on the line, it has always been an ambition to extend it into Cheltenham for a link with the mainline.

"But every time there's another break in the line like this, it makes that more difficult to achieve."

Cheltenham Borough Council and Bloor Homes, the firm behind the 176-property scheme, spoke out on the matter yesterday.

Cabinet member for built environment Councillor Andrew McKinlay (LD, Up Hatherley) said: "The permission that went through stated that the embankment must be left so rail could be reinstated in the future.

"It was one of the subjects discussed during the planning process and the agreement leaves open the possibility of rail for the future."

The road access from the Prince of Wales Stadium side crosses the Honeybourne Line into the Midwinter site and has split the embankment.

Bloor planning director Steve Macpherson said the company would abide by the council's decision.

He said: "We are aware of the issue and are committed to maintaining public transport links for pedestrians and the long-term potential for rail. If the funding was ever found, then the potential would still be there for reinstating a rail link, but it would have to be re-engineered."

Heading south would see the line extended from its current halt at the racecourse to Cheltenham Spa, providing a useful link for race-goers.

A tram route is one of the other possibilities mooted for the line.

GWR owns the stretch north of the Prince of Wales Stadium, but the part through Cheltenham is controlled by the borough council.

GWR is extending its line north to Broadway and is likely to concentrate on that in the short term.

The ambitions won support from other councillors.

Councillor Ian Bickerton (LD, Leckhampton) added: "This route needs to be safeguarded and open the possibility of completing the GWR Honeybourne Steam Line with the final link from the racecourse to the town centre."

Mr Crowder conceded that any plan to extend rail along the path was likely to cost millions of pounds and therefore would only be possible in the long-term.

This was a daft closure and this route really needs to be restored for proper trains ASAP. Whilst tram routes have their value ie as feeders to heavy rail, they really shouldn't replace rail. It's a NETWORK we need, we should have learned from the mistakes of the past when some lines never quite joined up where they should! Each city should have one main station which all main line trains use, plus many suburban stations served by stoppers and, yes, trams in some cases!

britain's least green city is perhaps starting to change ...

City councillors back move for transport body

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The Post

BRISTOL has taken a further step towards wrestling more control of its bus and rail services away from central Government.

City councillors last night agreed to try to set up a new body which would give the city and neighbouring authorities greater power over issues including setting their own rail and bus routes.

They pledged to work with North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils in an attempt to set up an Integrated Transport Authority.

At a full meeting of the city council, there was cross-party support for a motion raised by the authority's transport chief, Tim Kent, and amended by Labour's transport spokesman, Mark Bradshaw.

The motion states: "The Department for Transport wants Bristol City Council and its neighbours to strengthen their working relationship to unlock additional devolution of transport powers."

It went on to call for:

â— More devolution of transport powers, particularly over rail and bus services.

â— Substantial investment to meet demand for an "integrated, modern and affordable public transport network".

â— A costed paper on "quality contracts" to be prepared for discussion by the council in September.

If quality contracts were introduced, it would mean the council would be responsible for bus transport in the city and private operators such as First would have to bid for the contracts to run routes.

However, councillor Kent's plans to seek approval for the setting up of a new transport company for Bristol were sidelined.

The Liberal Democrat executive member for transport had called on the council to set up a Bristol Transport Company to allow more power and funding to be devolved from central government to the council to improve public transport. But all references were removed from the motion when it was amended by councillor Bradshaw.

Although the city council has made its intentions on an ITA clear, there is no consensus among neighbouring authorities.

Elfan Ap Rees, councillor in charge of transport at North Somerset Council has opposed an ITA, saying any increase in council tax to fund it would be "complete nonsense".

Well, Bristol is proudly Britain's Least Green City, so at least this is a step in the right direction. With a rebuilt commuter rail network, a dense tramway system and a few feeder bus routes Bristol could really lead the way in 21st century transport - and what a transformation that would be!!

there is an easier solution!

Two points re the following - bringing back the trains would be a far easier option (though I can't for the life of me think which Somerset railway or station closed in 1968) and we haven't been to the Moon since 1972 - and are unlikely to ever return now!

The cruellest cut for Somerset villagers

Pensioners in a Somerset village are losing their weekly bus due to cuts. Brigid has a solution

- Michele Hanson
- guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 June 2012 20.30 BST
- Comments (…)

I've had a despairing letter from a reader, Brigid, who lives in a Somerset village, three miles from the nearest shop and pub. The railway closed in 1968, the village shop in 1970, but in 1997, in came the darling Labour government and gave the elderly villagers free bus passes and one bus. Every Wednesday morning this bus whirled through all the back lanes picking up stranded villagers and taking them to the nearest town for their shopping. Heaven. The bus was always popular, with between 20 and 40 passengers, "all pensioners, many disabled", who, over the years, had all chummed up and adored their weekly outing. It was a lifeline, almost a party. You can guess the ending. This bus route has been cut.

Brigid is one of the lucky ones. She has a car and can drive, but for how long? She's 78 and getting a bit past it. Soon, she and loads of country pensioners will be stuck indoors and wretched. But what's the point of begging the council to subsidise their buses? They'll only whinge on in the usual way…"£45 million budget gap…huge consultation with passengers…" blah blah. The pensioners want to pay for their ride, but an EU directive forbids it. So they're stymied.

As a possible solution, Brigid is suggesting compulsory euthanasia for everyone over 70. But in a positive way. "The savings would be immense," says she. No care homes needed, huge numbers of NHS beds freed up for younger persons in need. More generous pensions would help, so that the elderly, who will no longer need to save for their very old age, could spend like mad in the shorter time available, and revive the economy.

"On your call-in day to the euthanasia centre," suggests Brigid perkily, "you could hold a big party, with lots to eat and drink and unlimited drugs and cigarettes, until you collapse on the floor in a heap and are carted off to be put down." She will vote for the first party to adopt this policy.

Her last Wednesday bus runs tomorrow. You can get to the moon, but not to the shops in Somerset.

Tuesday 19 June 2012

wisbech STILL rail-less?? WTF??

Bramley Line closure is damaging aspirations of Fen young people, says council

Hugh MorrisMonday, May 28, 2012
1:25 PM

THE Wisbech to March railway should be reopened to prevent the aspirations of young people in Fenland from being damaged, Wisbech Town Council has warned.

In a report on the viability of using the disused Bramley Line for passengers for the first time since 1968 the council also said the Fen population will grow increasingly isolated if the line remained closed.

The study is the latest in a long line of research done to assess whether it would be worth the investment to open the train line.

The council report said though there may be reduction in road congestion in the area if the line were opened, the main benefits would be social and economical from improved links between Fenland and Cambridge.

It said the consequences of the rail link remaining closed would be a “continued lowering of aspirations amongst young people”.

“Wisbech has suffered significantly since it became disconnected from the rest of the county, region and country by the removal of the rail link... which played such an important role in maintaining Wisbech’s position as the Capital of the Fens,” the report said.

“Wisbech and surrounding area is relatively impoverished. The perception is that the town has visibly stagnated both socially and economically since the railway closed in 1968.

“It is predicted that the population of the area could fall over the next 10 years unless action is taken.”

With an expected journey time of 40 minutes to “the high value job market of Cambridge”, the report said the railway could reduce the region’s unemployment levels.

Old track would need to be replaced at various points on the line, repairs would need to be carried out to the Twenty-foot River bridge and a crossing of the A47 would have to be built were the line to be opened.

It is assumed by the council, the Cambridge Science Park station, the city’s second station, would have to be finished - expected in 2015 - before the Bramley Line could be reopened.

Oh, and why you're at it, get the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway up and running again - East Anglia's primary tourst attraction!

swanage leads the way

Swanage Railway set to join main line after funding from Dorset Council

Monday, May 28, 2012

DavidBol

Regular trains between Swanage and Wareham could return within two years as vital signals will join the Swanage Railway to the main line.

The modern signals will cost £2.7million to install, and Dorset County Council has handed over the first instalment of funding to Network Rail.

Swanage Railway could join the main line network within two years

The Swanage Railway, which is run by volunteers changes its points at Worgret Junction manually, while people waving flags provide signalling. The upgrade will mean the service will be able to run up to eight return journeys per day, putting it among the biggest community railways in the country.

Dorset County Council Leader Cllr Angus Campbell said: "We are grateful to the many people who have worked behind the scenes for so long to achieve this funding agreement.

"Now we need to focus on the next phase of the project which is to help Swanage Railway lease and upgrade the line between Norden and Worgret Junction and to ensure the legal agreements are in place to allow it to use the Furzebrook sidings to store and maintain trains."

Work on the new signals will start in October, and would allow trains to join the main line atWorgret Junction and reach Wareham.

Swanage Railway chairman Peter Sills said: "We're delighted that this once-in-a-generation opportunity has come to fruition. It has been a team effort by everyone involved, especially thePurbeck Community Rail Partnership.

"The Swanage Railway already makes an important contribution to Purbeck in terms of employment, bringing extra commercial opportunities to many businesses and reducing traffic congestion.

"Linking Swanage and Corfe Castle to the main line railway at Wareham can only increase this benefit."

The funding for the upgrade has come from developers' contributions as part of the PurbeckTransportation Strategy. The aim of the strategy is to improve movement around the district, taking traffic away from the busy A351 by using alternative forms of transport.

Purbeck District Cllr Mike Lovell was closely involved in securing the funding deal with Network Rail.

"This is the first major step towards providing a regular service between Swanage and Wareham for 40 years" said Cllr Lovell.

"It is crucial as it will allow people to travel to Corfe Castle and Swanage by train from anywhere in the country. Railway enthusiasts will be keen to try it and so will families and holiday-makers who want to leave the car at home.

"It will also be a key transport link for people who work or study in Wareham, Poole or anywhere along the south coast."

A further £300,000 will link the new signals to Swanage Railway's award-winning signal box at Corfe Castle, which was installed last year.

Jim Morgan, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail said: "We have worked closely with Dorset County Council and the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership to make this connection to the national rail network possible.

"Linking the line from Swanage, via Corfe Castle, to Wareham will give a boost to the local area and provide a viable rail service to local people and an alternative way for tourists and visitors to travel to this part of the country."

Friday 15 June 2012

in the money

£100,000 council cash puts Saltford station bid back on track

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Bath Chronicle

People living in Saltford could soon have their railway station reopened after securing £100,000 from Bath and North East Somerset Council.

A campaign group has been pushing for the move for more than a year and they have now won the support of the local authority.

Saltford station campaigners hand in a petition

At a cabinet meeting in Bath last night, councillors agreed to allocate the funding to start the first stages of development.

Councillor Roger Symonds, the cabinet member responsible for transport, said he wholeheartedly welcomed the plans and wanted to offer his full support.

He said: “I’m delighted with this proposal, I’m delighted that we have this great community group that have done all this work in Saltford.

“If anybody believes that this is not going to be of benefit to the whole of the Saltford community, their reasoning is wrong.”

The station closed in 1970, but the Saltford Station Campaign Group believes if it was reopened it would be well used by the local community.

They have already managed to collect more than 2,000 signatures on a petition which they presented to the cabinet at the Guildhall last night.

Duncan Hounsell, from the campaign group, spoke at the meeting and thanked councillors for their support.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “It is brilliant, I think this is a historic day for the station.

“It is a hot topic in the village at the moment, it is something everybody is aware of and there is great enthusiasm for it.”

The £100,000 will now be spent on drawing up a proper business case for the station.

It is estimated that the scheme will cost a total of £5.5 million, which the campaign group hopes will come from a variety of sources, including Network Rail, a train operator or the West of England Partnership.

little steps ...

Radstock to Frome railway line reopening views sought

The railway, which runs from Radstock to Frome, was last used by passenger trains in 1959

Campaigners who want to reopen the railway line between Radstock and Frome in Somerset are seeking support for the idea.

A meeting organised by South West Transport Network and Railfuture has been taking place in Radstock.

The groups want the idea to be included as an option in the franchise to run the Great Western line, which is due for renewal next year.

First Great Western said it was happy to discuss reopening the line.

George Bailey from the South West Transport Network said reopening the line was a possibility.
'Numbers escalated'
"There is no doubt people in Radstock, and along the line in places like Mells, do want a reopened line. It makes travelling so much easier.

"It takes a long time but we have seen examples [elsewhere in the country] where studies showed there would be a low level of passengers.

"Within about three years the numbers have escalated out of all proportion and they have had to put on extra trains."

Mr Bailey said the scheme would cost up to £40m.

The last freight traffic on the line from Radstock to Frome ran in 1988, but the rails on the route are still intact. Passenger trains last used the route in the 1960s.

A spokesman from First Great Western said: "[We] would be more than happy to work with local authorities and community partners to discuss the feasibility of reopening the line."

The public meeting was taking place at Radstock Methodist Church on Thursday evening.

Thursday 14 June 2012

reading between the lines

(Bedminster, 13.6.2012)

Anyone hoping for petrol/diesel prices to fall (ever) should read the following piece by Bill Bonner, which covers the current oil price situation. It appears that the minimum price producers now expect (and indeed need) is around $100 a barrel. This reflects the fragility of their economies and also, of course, the extraction cost of what is, in reality, mainly still cheap and easily-obtainable oil.

Another interesting point covered is that the Falkland Islands may have an 'oil bonanza' of 1 billion barrels under the water. Years worth many seem to think, but at current consumption levels (86mbpd) will last 11.62 DAYS.

I sense hysteria rising, with the completely unachievable aim of cheap petrol at the pumps being around the corner to rescue our growth-free economies still being the hope of many, and what are, in global terms, tiny dribbles of oil being regard as somehow a game changer. Bear in mind that Peak Oil advocates have been saying for years that price volatility on this sort of scale will be a big signal that the peak has probably been passed.

More news: What’s going on with oil?

The price of a barrel of crude oil has plummeted some $30 or almost 25% in the past few months. And it’s got the world’s major oil producers in a panic.

Countries like Libya, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Iran, Russia and Venezuela need high oil prices. Otherwise, they can’t balance their books – something we know a lot about in the UK and Europe.

According to colleague, Byron King, these oil-rich countries require prices of at least $80-100 (or more) “just to have sufficient income to run their national budgets”.

So now the pressure is on from OPEC producers for Saudi Arabia to cut oil output to prevent a further slide in crude prices.
Reuters picks up the story:

Price hawks in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are fretting that slowing economic growth will send crude, already off $30 since March, plummeting further.

"We think that given the economic situation, above all in Europe, there is a serious threat that prices might fall drastically and so our policy is to defend the production ceiling agreed in December of 30 million barrels a day," said Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez.

“I am afraid of this fall, anything below $100 is very painful for Libya,” said Libyan Oil Minister Abdulrahman Ben Yazza. Brent crude traded at just over $97 a barrel on Wednesday having peaked this year at $128 in March.

A moderate on oil prices, Saudi Arabia initially floated a proposal to lift OPEC's output target. After Riyadh quickly dropped that idea, the 12-member group looks set at a Thursday meeting to leave its formal production ceiling unchanged at 30 million barrels daily.

But extra oil from Saudi boosted actual output to 31.6 million bpd in May, a production rate in excess of demand that is building world inventories rapidly.
A report from OPEC estimated inventories rose by 2.1 million bpd on average in the first quarter of the year during a seasonal period when stocks normally decline. Supply and demand data suggests a build on a similar scale in the second quarter.

“In the face of such gloomy uncertainty OPEC should be discussing production restraint on Thursday,” said David Hufton of London oil brokers PVM.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s only major swing producer, finds itself in the tricky position of trying to plan cover for supplies lost from Iran when an European Union oil embargo starts on July 1 without sending prices crashing.

Its preferred oil price is $100 a barrel, a price it feels permits oil investment without hurting economic growth, while most in OPEC want to defend $100 as a price floor.”

*** Meanwhile, the hunt for oil goes on. These short-term supply issues are unlikely to change the big, long-term picture: the world is running out of oil. Most of the easy-to-get-at oil has been got at. Now we need to work harder to get to what’s left.