Originally Posted by
LTNman
I took my first trip on the newish non-stop EMR to St Pancras last Saturday and I have to say it was a shocking experience. The train was made up of 2 trains each with 4 carriages joined in the middle to form a single train making it impossible to walk from one end of the train to the other. The train was packed out with standing passengers plus the train had no luggage racks for suitcases. It was clear the train was old commuter stock that had seen better days. The old hourly service used to be formed of a dedicated long distance train that was far better and was complete with tables. By contrast the 12 car Thameslink train for the return journey was a breath of fresh air, as it was light and airy.
As for the Dart, padely needs to remember that the £268m was borrowed from the Council who have funded a project worth only £75m. While the bus service was dreadful it didn't stop the airport reaching its capacity in 2019 and didn't cost LRT or the Council a single penny. The question is why build it now when the airport doesn't have permission to expand? If the DCO is approved a new tunnel is going to have to be dug to extend the Dart at say £150m with the Dart shut down for part of that time to re-cable the Dart and move its winches. The testing of the Dart resulted in 9 months of trials due to all the twists and turns. An extension of the Dart will see the train having to turn another 90 degrees.
The Dart will always run at a loss and will be sold off without its debts leaving the council taxpayers picking up the bill.
As for more cars off the road that is another false claim. The plans for T2 shows 1000's of new car park spaces being required with road traffic expected to rise by around 50%
I'm sure it was you who posted about the inferior trains a few years ago so should not have been a surprise to you.
You can always play with figures, how much did the Gatwick Shuttle & Birmingham transit systems cost with zero income? What big projects ever run at estamated costs Elizabeth Line, HS2 ?
Of course it will take cars off the road, what a stupid statement. For those who have no hope of connecting to rail network, car parks will be available.
Perhaps you should refund all the Council Tax subsidises you have enjoyed over the last 20 years via the airport.
I certainly enjoyed them and was the envy of friends who lived outside Luton and had to pay much higher rates/community charge/council taxes.