Is this obvious or a good idea?

[Russp]

I can't understand why lorries want to be trains . There is a simple solution put more freight on rail and use lorries to distribute goods locally

[Lancpudn]

Originally Posted by Russp

I can't understand why lorries want to be trains . There is a simple solution put more freight on rail and use lorries to distribute goods locally

From what I've been reading in the transport forums the government want to put more road freight onto rail, there is a new rail hub being built now in south Staffordshire, It's the size of 86 football fields. they want to get containers from ports etc onto railways delivered to these rail hubs around the country then put onto electric trucks that have the electric range to deliver instead of travelling the length & breadth of the country. https://www.theconstructionindex.co....logistics-park

[stevestrat]

Originally Posted by Russp

There is a simple solution put more freight on rail and use lorries to distribute goods locally

Rail freight companies, in the UK anyway, are only interested in moving bulk loads from A to B for individual customers, gone are the days of moving individual wagon loads for smaller companies. When I started on the railways back in 1980 trains would arrive in big marshalling yards, one located near most cities and individual wagon loads would be delivered to local yards where the customer unloaded/reloaded etc, all those local yards are gone, redeveloped, as for that matter are the big marshalling yards. The infrastructure to move more by rail simply isn't there now and to even come close to restoring it would require a massive investment.

[Lovel]

Cracking idea, but how much power is required to move a nation of HGV’s all at the same time? Will scar the countryside even more. How much copper and steel will that swallow up?

[MSS]

Originally Posted by stevestrat

Rail freight companies, in the UK anyway, are only interested in moving bulk loads from A to B for individual customers, gone are the days of moving individual wagon loads for smaller companies. When I started on the railways back in 1980 trains would arrive in big marshalling yards, one located near most cities and individual wagon loads would be delivered to local yards where the customer unloaded/reloaded etc, all those local yards are gone, redeveloped, as for that matter are the big marshalling yards. The infrastructure to move more by rail simply isn't there now and to even come close to restoring it would require a massive investment.

The above is my understanding also.

I think it's a great idea. The inside lane of motorways and major A roads could be reserved for electric HGV's. There will be the added benefit of HGV drivers not trying to overtake each other whilst travelling 0.01MPH faster then the HGV being 'overtaken' thus reducing the outside lane to the same speed as the inside lane.

[trikey]

Originally Posted by MSS

The above is my understanding also.

I think it's a great idea. The inside lane of motorways and major A roads could be reserved for electric HGV's. There will be the added benefit of HGV drivers not trying to overtake each other whilst travelling 0.01MPH faster then the HGV being 'overtaken' thus reducing the outside lane to the same speed as the inside lane.

They have to overtake at 0.0001 mph, how else can they pass a copy of Razzle to their comrades through the window!

[edwardmk]

Originally Posted by trikey

They have to overtake at 0.0001 mph, how else can they pass a copy of Razzle to their comrades through the window!

The thoughtless numptys who take three miles to overtake are one of my pet peeves, but that just cracked me up. We've all been there.

[The Rovering Member]

Originally Posted by MSS

The above is my understanding also.

I think it's a great idea. The inside lane of motorways and major A roads could be reserved for electric HGV's. There will be the added benefit of HGV drivers not trying to overtake each other whilst travelling 0.01MPH faster then the HGV being 'overtaken' thus reducing the outside lane to the same speed as the inside lane.

Annoying l'll grant you but no less so (& probably more) than the absolute plague of middle lane hoggers in their cars & vans. Lane discipline in the U.K. is appalling. Even on four lane carriageways they simply move out to the third lane.
I sincerely hope they don't reserve the inside lane for lorries or l'll never get anywhere.

As for the lorries, it's generally the driver being overtaken at fault for not knocking the cruise off momentarily to allow the outer vehicle to pass. There's no-one more pig-ignorant than a pig-ignorant lorry driver.

[edwardmk]

Originally Posted by stevestrat

Rail freight companies, in the UK anyway, are only interested in moving bulk loads from A to B for individual customers, gone are the days of moving individual wagon loads for smaller companies. When I started on the railways back in 1980 trains would arrive in big marshalling yards, one located near most cities and individual wagon loads would be delivered to local yards where the customer unloaded/reloaded etc, all those local yards are gone, redeveloped, as for that matter are the big marshalling yards. The infrastructure to move more by rail simply isn't there now and to even come close to restoring it would require a massive investment.

Yes. Dr Beeching saw to that. A great pity, but has to be seen in the context of the rail unions having too great a monopoly at the time. They regularly exercised that monopoly. Every year there was a demand for more pay. The strikes were often politically motivated in an attempt to make the government of the day look bad. It was a tragedy for the country and would indeed require massive investment to reverse the loss of rail infrastructure.

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by edwardmk

Yes. Dr Beeching saw to that. A great pity, but has to be seen in the context of the rail unions having too great a monopoly at the time. They regularly exercised that monopoly. Every year there was a demand for more pay. The strikes were often politically motivated in an attempt to make the government of the day look bad. It was a tragedy for the country and would indeed require massive investment to reverse the loss of rail infrastructure.

they still strike for this and that. When is their next round of pay talks? I would expect them, not want them, to take industrial action.
What does a train driver get paid now adays, got a feeling it is good money, getting on for £50,000 and what is the national average? What ever they are paid pales into insignificance compared to some celebrities.

macafee2