#Railnatter 

Another great episode Gareth. The West Midland needs to prioritise improving the urban network with full electrification and more through services, to match London, e.g., the Overground.

Great episode as usual, even though I'm not from the West Midlands I lived in Birmingham for 5 years for uni so I'm very invested in the railways there. Coming from a town with 2tph to living on the doorstep of the Cross-City line (even when it was reduced to 4tph post-lockdown) felt like night and day, so the suggestion that 6tph should be the baseline is definitely something I can get behind. I think the silly gap between Aldridge and Streetly might be to do with the fact that Aldridge is the only Sutton Park station actually being developed currently; as far as I'm aware the plan is to open the station with a DMU shuttle to Walsall, then electrify that stretch of line to extend EMU services from Walsall to terminate there, with the rest of the line being more of a 'this is the end goal' thing.

Part of Birm to Wolvo could have been four track. Tipton platforms could be set back. Tipton is brilliantly placed for passengers

With the curtailment of HS2 north of Birmingham it is now time to reconsider HSUK to Leicester, Sheffield and Leeds.

Great episode! Connectivity between HS2 and the CrossCountry network is one of the many bits of HS2 that never had much serious thought put into it. CrossCountry services go to Birmingham International and New Street. HS2 goes to neither. Passengers wishing to change from one network to the other either have to cross central Birmingham to change trains or add an extra connection to their journey by way of the people mover nonsense at Birmingham Interchange. Either Curzon St should have been moved a few hundred meters to the South West so that Curzon St and New Street are built next door to each other, or else the Birmingham Interchange station should have been built where HS2 and the WCML cross each other at Balsall Common.

The required grade separated junctions at Barnt Green and at Northfield forgotten again.

some day chiltern should be extended at least to walsall if to to canoc-stafford- - birkenhead maybe even having a regional rail station under the birkenhead irish ferry terminal.

When will a similar plan for the West Yorkshire Region be published? The plan for West Yorkshire is of particular interest, as it would integrate with the badly needed rapid transit Metro.

briminham needs a new comuter cross county line bilt paralle to the aston expressway.

The OLE is very nice in Norway, so why is it so bulky and expensive in the UK and not used on single lines?

Birmingham really needs a Ringbahn more than a crossrail style link But taking a flying dive tunnel out from five ways to a new low level station between new St and moor St then popping up again in the industrial Estate just before duddeston might work for the cross city like. More thames link style than crossrail

Knock down the wholesale markets and put your new station there, it's the only place it will fit to be honest without major issues open heart surgery on Birmingham. The area north of the gay village and south of moor St

how many new power stations are required for hs2 to work.

if all improvments o moor street are ever ilt how wolkd he enlaged station cmpare in size and useage to new street.

The OLE is very nice in Norway, so why is it so bulky and expensive in the UK and not used on single lines?